The Santa Barbara Don's claimed the 2000 Channel League title in girl's tennis with a victory over Ventura on Tuesday. The Don's will begin CIF Southern Section team play on November 7th. Also qualifying for CIF team play are the 2nd place Ventura Cougars and the 3rd place Bulldogs of Buena. Congratulations to all three teams.

On Monday, October 30, the Cougars will host the Channel League Singles Tournament which will determine the CL representatives in the CIF Southern Section Tennis Singles Competition. Then on Wednesday, November 1, Channel League teams will again gather to determine the doubles qualifiers for CIF.

As Ventura Coach Mike Russell plays host to all this tennis action, he may find his attention divided. His wife is expecting their first child and is due this same week! Our best wishes to Mike and his wife.

The Channel League golf title and playoff picture was made a little muddy by last week's rains. The final team play competition was rained out on Thursday and as a result, the Channel League title will not be decided before singles qualifying begins.

Dos Pueblos has claimed at least a share of the Channel League title with an 18-2 record. However, La Reina is 16-2 and could still claim a co-championship with a win in the match against San Marcos and Santa Barbara. San Marcos, on the other hand, could claim third place with a win over the two opponents and a CIF playoff spot. Should San Marcos come in second in the three way match, they would tie Nordhoff at 10-10 for third place.

Now it gets more complicated. Rather than reschedule the rained out match between La Reina, San Marcos and Santa Barbara, the contest will be held concurrently with first nine holes of the Channel League Singles Tournament on Tuesday, October 31. In the event that La Reina wins, and San Marcos takes second in that match, resulting in a first place tie in the Channel League standings between La Reina and Dos Pueblos, and a third place tie between Nordhoff and San Marcos, those same nine holes will also be used to determine who will represent the Channel League as the first, second and third place teams in CIF.

If you aren't confused enough already, let's try it this way. The first nine holes of the Channel League Singles Meet to be held at Elkins Ranch on Tuesday will also determine the league's first, second and third place teams, and seating for CIF. Here are the possibilities for each of the top four teams:

Dos Pueblos: If DP wins against La Reina, or if La Reina losses to San Marcos or Santa Barbara, DP will be the first place team representing the Channel League in CIF. If DP loses to La Reina and La Reina beats San Marcos and Santa Barbara, DP will be the second place team from the Channel League in CIF.

La Reine: If La Reina defeats San Marcos, Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos, they will be the first place team from the Channel League in CIF. If they lose to any of those teams, they will be the second place team from the Channel League in CIF.

Nordhoff: If San Marcos losses to both Santa Barbara and La Reina, Nordhoff will qualify as the third place team from the Channel League in CIF. If Nordhoff wins against San Marcos and San Marcos losses to either La Reina or Santa Barbara, Nordhoff will be the third place team representing the Channel League in CIF. If San Marcos beats both La Reina and Santa Barbara, Nordhoff will be the fourth place CIF team and will not qualify for CIF. If San Marcos wins against either Santa Barbara or La Reina while losing to the other, but beats Nordhoff, Nordhoff will be the fourth place CIF team and will not qualify for CIF.

San Marcos: If San Marcos beats both La Reina and Santa Barbara, San Marcos will qualify as the third place team from the Channel League in CIF. If San Marcos wins against either Santa Barbara or La Reina while losing to the other, but beats Nordhoff, San Marcos will qualify as the third place team from the Channel League in CIF. If San Marcos wins against either Santa Barbara or La Reina while losing to the other, and loses to Nordhoff, San Marcos will be the fourth place CIF team and will not qualify for CIF. A bit of advice for all the girls playing in the competition. Forget about all of the above and concentrate on playing a great game of golf. Let the coaches figure out the rest! Good luck to all.