PREP TENNIS: COHEN LOOKING FOR HAPPY ENDING TAFT STAR HOPES TO AVENGE LOSS TO NIKOLOVA IN CITY SINGLES FINAL.Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News In a season of high points, it took Sarah Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. only a few seconds to identify the lowest moment of her junior year at Taft High of Woodland Hills. ``I played so bad, I can't believe it,'' said Cohen of her 6-2, 6-0 loss Nov. 17 to Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). of Pacific Palisades junior Katy Nikolova in the City Section girls' tennis final. ``It was really disappointing. I know I could've played so much better.'' After helping the Toreadors reach their first City championship match since 1994, Cohen's season of dreams became a nightmare in a little more than an hour. After Taft captured three of the first four matchups, Nikolova's victory, combined with wins in the final two doubles matches, helped Palisades rally for a 4-3 triumph and back-to-back section titles. ``She had been playing so well, but she didn't have anything close to that competition,'' Taft coach Tom Wright said of Cohen. ``I feel like Sarah's been playing at a different level since then.'' It's been more than three weeks since her humbling hum·ble adj. hum·bler, hum·blest 1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. 2. defeat at the hands of last year's City runner-up, but Cohen's season has been one of redemption and she hopes to add another chapter to her comeback Comeback Australian breed of wool sheep, bred by crossing Merino with Corriedale, Polwarth or Zenith sheep; wool is 21 to 25 microns. It is a registered breed, but the term is more commonly used in the sense of a type of sheep produced by crossbreeding a crossbred Merino back to Merino. story when she and Nikolova square off for the singles title at 1 p.m. today at Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). Sports Complex in Encino. ``I don't feel nervous at all,'' Cohen said. ``I feel less pressure than before, because I know I have my team behind me.'' Taft's Rebecca Mesropyan and Betsy Urman, first-time finalists like Cohen, will also be competing at Balboa in the doubles championship match against Palisades' Audrey Ashraf and Erika Lee. ``It's so much fun watching (Sarah) play,'' said Urman, Taft's senior captain. ``It's going to be exciting for all of us.'' Cohen had to win four matches to secure a rematch REMATCH Cardiology Clinical trials–Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance Therapy as an alternative in Congestive Heart failure–related to use of a portable, electric left ventricular-assist system–LVAS–eg, HeartMate® with Nikolova, but her path to the final pales in comparison to her journey to playing high school tennis again. After competing on Calabasas' undefeated Southern Section Div. I championship team in 2004, Cohen moved to England last year to endure a stricter academic schedule. Even upon her return to California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). , Cohen's future as a prep athlete was uncertain because she didn't initially know where she was going to live, making the decision of selecting a school a difficult one. The decision to attend Taft wound up being a win-win situation for Cohen and the Toreadors, who ended Granada Hills' 11-year run as West Valley League champion. Cohen's presence, combined with sophomore Amanda Spencer and impact freshmen Mesropyan and Yuliya Maystruk, gave Taft the City's best singles lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. . ``I thought there wasn't going to be any competition for me, but playing on this team has changed my perspective on high school tennis,'' said Cohen, who is attempting to become Taft's first City champion since Julia Feldman in 1994. ``I decided to play because I thought it would look good for college, but it turned out to be a good decision for so many reasons. I got here because of the team and their support.'' Cohen knows Nikolova, who suffered a 6-4, 6-0 setback setback In architecture, a steplike recession in the profile of a high-rise building. Usually dictated by building codes to allow sunlight to reach streets and lower floors, the building must take another step back from the street for every specified added height interval. to North Hollywood's Desiree Stone in last year's final, is the favorite in today's match. But with a more consistent game and a more mature approach to the sport, Cohen is ready to reach the highest point of her young career. ``When I compete in USTA USTA United States Tennis Association USTA United States Telecom Association USTA United States Trotting Association USTA United States Telephone Association USTA United States Twirling Association USTA United States Trademark Association events, I'm usually really serious. My mom (1) (Messaging-Oriented Middleware) See messaging middleware. (2) (Microsoft Operations Manager) Software that monitors and captures system and application events throughout the network. signs me in and I just go out and play,'' Cohen said. ``Getting to the finals of the City tournament is why the high school experience is so great. I'm really excited about the opportunity.'' erik.boal@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Taft's Sarah Cohen plays Palisades' Katy Nikolova in the City Section singles final today. (2) After playing at Calabasas and moving to England, Sarah Cohen chose to play at Taft when she moved back to California. Daily News |
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