Corona del Mar junior Julia Cross swept all nine of her singles matches across a three-match stretch, dropping just five games. The Orange County Register named her the Orange County girls athlete of the week on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Cross helped the Sea Kings defeat Edison, Portola and Newport Harbor during the stretch ending Sept. 24. Her most dominant outing came in CdM's 10-8 victory over Portola, where she swept all three singles sets 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

That Portola match carried extra weight. During the 2025 season, Corona del Mar beat the same Bulldogs squad 10-8 for the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 1 championship. Cross, then a sophomore, contributed as a doubles player on that title run. The Sea Kings also captured the Sunset League championship and the CIF SoCal Regional title before finishing as state runner-up, according to a Newport-Mesa Unified athletics roundup.

The transition hasn't slowed Corona del Mar.

In her junior season, Cross has stepped into a lead singles role on a roster that lost six starters from the 2025 squad, the Daily Pilot reported. The Sea Kings sit at 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the Sunset League, according to MaxPreps. They are chasing their fourth straight league title.

Coach Jamie Gresh noted the value of winning three doubles sets against a deep Portola lineup after the Sept. 24 match, telling the Daily Pilot he rotated three different doubles combinations during the day. "Portola always plays good doubles," Gresh said. "Their kids are always in the middle, always moving. They serve well, they return well and they work together really well."

CdM is scheduled to play at Los Alamitos on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Sea Kings then host Fountain Valley on Thursday, Oct. 1, travel to Huntington Beach on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and visit Newport Harbor on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in a Sunset League matchup.