CAMARILLO SEEKS TO NET SPOT IN CIF TENNIS FINALS : THOUSAND OAKS, WESTLAKE ALSO TO HOST POSTSEASON MATCHES TODAY.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

They exploded onto the scene this year and won the Marmonte League championship, but the Camarillo High School girls' tennis team considers its mission only half complete.

The next step is to advance to the Southern Section Division I finals. The Scorpions get started on that process at 2 p.m. today by hosting Glendale in a first-round playoff match.

``We're ready to go,'' said Camarillo coach Francis Giffin. ``The girls are healthy and strong and playing well. Our goal is to go to the CIF finals.''

There's little doubt that Camarillo is one of the better-prepared teams in Division I. The Scorpions' singles team is led by the accomplished Darian Chappell, and its doubles team might be the deepest and most talented in the division.

Depth in doubles was the key factor in upending Westlake and Thousand Oaks for the league title and could be the postseason strength that propels Camarillo far.

It's doubtful that any potential opponents in the first two rounds of the playoffs can match Camarillo's impressive depth.

``I don't know if you'll find anyone that is as strong as we are all the way through doubles,'' Giffin said. ``Without a doubt our doubles play has been the difference for us this year.''

Camarillo won 123 of 126 sets this year in doubles action.

The three doubles teams are Brynne Chappell and Bettina Rettenmaier, Melissa Feld and Aime Hull, and Erin Jones and Alisson Gottlieb.

Thousand Oaks will host Arcadia at 2 p.m. today in another Division I match. Lancers coach Dave Assorson is confident that his team can do well in the postseason after tying Simi Valley for third place in the Marmonte League.

The emergence of Camarillo put a damper on hopes of Thousand Oaks to be a contender for the Marmonte League championship. The Lancers struggled with Westlake, which eventually took second place. The Lancers ultimately had to win their final two matches to guarantee a third-place finish.

``We were a little disappointed with where we finished,'' Assorson said. ``But Camarillo rose up and surprised everybody, and we had trouble with Westlake, although we just barely lost to them and both matches could have gone either way.''

Thousand Oaks' best player is versatile Leila Jirari, a talented doubles player who can also play singles. Jirari and Angela Chin combined for a 22-5 doubles record this year.

Cindy Wu is paired with Kelly Struyck and Tammi Smith with Christie Conrad as other doubles players for Thousand Oaks.

``They always seemed to come through with a big victory when we really needed it,'' Assorson said about his doubles players.

In other postseason tennis matches today, Westlake will host Atascadero in Division II action, while Calabasas will entertain Dos Pueblos and Oak Park will visit Thacher in Division V.