Jacobs on top of his game
Moorpark tennis star still in the hunt for a CIF championship
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TOP PLAYER- Moorpark senior Drew Jacobs hits a serve during a workout Wednesday afternoon. Today, Jacobs is competing in the CIF-Southern Section Individual Tennis Sectionals at Seal Beach.

Winning tennis matches has been easy for Moorpark High senior Drew Jacobs this year.

Jacobs, 18, breezed through the Marmonte League regular season without dropping a set. He won the league's singles title in a dominating fashion, too, blowing past Agoura's Darren Dahl in the final.

Jacobs also competes in various United States Tennis Association tournaments. In February, he advanced to the semifinals of the USTA National Open Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Having watched him play for the Musketeers, Moorpark firstyear head coach Michael Spoehr can appreciate Jacobs' dedication and ability on the court.

"He's a special athlete," Spoehr said. "He sees the ball like most people don't. He knows where he needs to be on the court when he needs to be there. His racket is always back, prepared for the shot.

"And he's a very smart player. He doesn't waste any energy on the court. He just executes very well."

Starting today, the high school competition gets a little tougher for Jacobs.

After winning a pair of matches last week in Carpinteria, Jacobs has advanced to today's CIF-Southern Section Individual Tennis Sectionals and Finals at Seal Beach Tennis Center.

As a sophomore, Jacobs also qualified for the round of 16. He said playing in the tournament two years ago was a valuable experience that he hopes will benefit him this time around.

"I should be a little more prepared this year because I know what to expect," said Jacobs, who plans on studying biology while playing for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall.

"I know every match is tough, so I have to be ready."

Spoehr, a 25-year coaching veteran, said Jacobs is a powerful athlete with an exceptional serve. Jacobs describes himself as an aggressive baseline player.

"I don't come (toward the net) too much," Jacobs said. "I pretty much just stay back and try to out-rally the other guy."

Jacobs credits Spoehr and his personal coach, Blake Russ, for his strong high school season. Russ and Jacobs have been training together three times per week for the past three years.

"I was up and down until I came to (Russ)," Jacobs said. "He made me more consistent."

In four years at Moorpark, Jacobs has had three different head coaches. He said it was tough on the team to adjust to a new coach once again, but added that Spoehr made the transition as smooth as possible.

"It's kind of hard," Jacobs said. "Nobody was happy to see the first coach go. It's just hard to get a sense of unity, I guess, when you're jumping coaches all over the place. So it was hard on the team, but I think we all took it pretty well this year."

While Jacobs has tempered his expectations for today's tournament- he says he might be able to win a match- Spoehr believes his player has the skills to beat any competitor in the field.

"Talking with him after we finished in Carpinteria, he thought he might go one more round and that would be it," Spoehr said. "I don't put it that way. I think he can win the whole thing. I think he has it in him."

Both the round of 16 and quarterfinal rounds will take place today. The semifinals and finals will be held at Seal Beach Tennis Center on Saturday.

"Any match will be tough," Jacobs said. "All 15 guys are really good, and I've never gotten past this round. Hopefully I can play well and do the best I can."