With the third-rated Senior Ace in Kendall Kipp among the players on its roster, Laguna Beach 18-1 was built to compete in the Open division come Junior Nationals. Instead, Laguna Beach was devastated by injuries.

Kipp was not one of them but Laguna Beach played multiple qualifiers – and JN’s – with numerous starters missing from the lineup. A spot in Open wasn’t meant to be so Laguna Beach accepted the National bid from its region and off to Dallas it was.