PREP TENNIS ROUNDUP : Top-Seeded Players Beaten in the Empire League Finals

Upsets in the singles and doubles finals marked the Empire League tennis individual championships Tuesday at Old Ranch Tennis Club in Seal Beach.

Los Alamitos High senior Laura Brun, the No. 2-seeded player, won the singles title with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over top-seeded Traci Botha of El Dorado.

In doubles, El Dorado’s Tamie Hanson and Tempa Rainey--the third-seeded team--rallied to defeat Los Alamitos’ Stefanie Springosky and Meredith Valt, the top-seeded team, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Brun’s victory avenged her only two losses this season. She had a 28-2 record, the losses coming at the hands of Botha, the league’s player of the year. Botha was 29-1 in league, losing only to Katella’s Debbie Vonusa.

Brun used her hard serve and excellent passing shots to wear down Botha, who made numerous unforced errors. It was Brun’s first victory over Botha in seven attempts.

In doubles competition, Hanson and Rainey entered the match as underdogs to the league’s doubles team of the year, and in the early going it looked as if Springosky and Valt were on their way to another victory.

But aggressive net play by the winners, particularly in the third set, turned the match around.

“We didn’t beat them once (during the season) but it doesn’t matter. We beat them here,” Rainey said.

Third place in the singles finals went to Los Alamitos sophomore Susan Huberman.