Cabrillo swatted Lompoc 15-3 in girls tennis Tuesday on the Dave Bickmore Courts, but it came as little surprise.

What did come as a surprise was the news that Morro Bay had upset St. Joseph, an outcome which propels Cabrillo into a tie with St. Joseph for first place in the Los Padres Leage.

"That/s fantastic, I can/t believe it," said Troup Tuesday night. "I told you Morro Bay is not a bad team. That/s good news."

The Conquistadores are 4-1 in league, 4-3 overall. Lompoc meanwhile is 1-4, 2-8 overall.

All three Conq singles players swept7 Ellen Monkemeier without dropping a game 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, Lisa Schutz 6-4, 6-0, 6-0, and Summer Miller 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

Only Kayla Cunningham was able to push the Conqs, she being responsible for the narrow 6-4 margin against Schutz and the 7-5 overtime struggle against Miller.

In doubles the first two Cabrillo teams swept7

Elisha McLain/Madalyn Doudna 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 and Lauren Vance/Heidi Havlicek 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

All Lompoc/s three points came against the No. 3 Cabrillo duo with Jani Carmona/Crystal Hernandez winning 6-1 over Lindsey Johnson/Ashley Brady, Courtney Stumpo/Janee Murray stopping subs Alli Herred/Leslie Morgan 6-3, and Sami Razon/Maiyer Vang nipping Herred/Morgan 6-4.

"It was nice that the girls didn/t let down after the big win over Santa Ynez," said Troup. "They went out and took care of business."

The onesided Lompoc-Cabrillo score was the most pronounced since Lompoc won 16-2 in 2002. Since then Cabrillo has won five straight of the crosstown matchups, each one more lopsided than the last.

How this rivalry has turned 180 degrees was a topic of conversation courtside.

One theory is that all sports are cyclical. With the arrival of Monkemeier, Schutz, Vance and company as freshmen four years ago Conquistador fortunes reversed. "Since us, more girls have come out," observed Schutz. But once those three and four other varsity seniors, graduate, goes the thinking, the Conqs will be hurting. Seven of nine CHS starters Tuesday are seniors.

Another line of thought was advanced by Lompoc coach Loretta Jensen who pointed to Jack Damon, a roundish-looking New Englander who advises Cabrillo mentor Dan Troup.

"Four years ago Dave Benchoff called me," Damon said of Troup/s predecessor. "He was having trouble with his knees and he couldn/t work with the girls."

Heidi Havlicek/s father had told Benchoff about Damon, who was once a tournament player.

Damon has worked with five or six girls, including Havlicek and underclass players Ashley Brady and Summer Miller, two weekends a month free of charge ever since.

Troup pointed to another factor, the new summer clinics at Cabrillo which he himself instituted two summers ago. Troup attracted forty kids both summers doing what the legendary Dave Bickmore and now Jensen have done at Lompoc High for years.

"Ellen (Monkemeier) came out to our clinics before high school," observed Bickmore courtside. "There was nothing available in Vandenberg Village at the time."

Cabrillo plays at Nipomo Thursday, while Lompoc travels to Morro Bay.

Morro Bay 11, St. Joseph 7

At St. Joseph, the balanced Pirates handed the Knights (5-1, 8-1) their first loss of the year and tightened up the Los Padres League race.

Cabrillo (5-1 LPL) moved into a tie for first place by beating Lompoc 15-3.

The Pirates earned six doubles wins and five singles victories in improving to 4-2, 7-2. Morro Bay/s number one doubles tandem of Chloe Redman and Kaitlin Kolb swept their three sets. So did the Pirates/ number two pair of Kathryn Porter and Kim Dauer.

Ane McPike, St. Joseph/s No. 3 singles player, swept her sets 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.

The Knights play at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Pioneer Valley. Morro Bay hosts Lompoc the same day and time. Thursday marks the halfway point, and end of the first round, of the LPL season.

LPL Volleyball

Santa Ynez 3, Cabrillo 0

At Cabrillo the visiting Pirates surged back from a 9-1 deficit in the first game to win 25-21, 25-20, 25-19 to hand Cabrillo its third loss in five LPL contests.

Jessica Kennedy led the Conquistadores with seven kills and 22 digs, Jessica Shekell added 25 digs and five blocks, Brisha Ogan contributed 15 digs and Emily Bonenfant 13.

Coach Sue Slavens pointed out the middle blocking of Brazilian exchange student Daniela Guarieiro. "She kept everything in play," said the coach.

Now 2-3 in league play, the Conquistadores venture down the hill to play Lompoc Thursday night.

Santa Maria 3, Lompoc 1

At Lompoc High the Braves opened up by winning their second game of the season 25-18 but thereafter lost 25-19, 25-23 and 25-14 to fall to their fifth straight league defeat.

"It was just compounding of unforced errors on our part," said Don Savella. "We/re a very inexperienced team."

In the third game the Braves came from behind to tie the Saints at 20-all but the Saints held on.

Katelyn Lynch led with 12 kills for Lompoc while Alyssa Ray had eight digs, Megan Michel added seven kills and three blocks, and Tiffany Larsen played well with five kills, according to Savella.

The Braves, 0-5, host Cabrillo on Thursday.

Sports Writer John McReynolds can be reached at 736-2313, Ext. 106, or jmcreynolds@lompocrecord.com

October 5, 2005