TACOMA — The Sequim and Port Angeles tennis teams are sending eight boys and girls players to the Class 2A state tournament this coming weekend.
All players finished in the top six at the bi-district championships Friday and Saturday at Sprinker Recreation Center.
The 2A state tournament is scheduled for this Friday and Saturday at the Nordstrom Center on the University of Washington campus in Seattle.
The Wolves are sending a boys singles player, Mallory Maloney, and their top boys and girls doubles teams while the Roughriders qualified Micah Roos and their best boys doubles team.
All players had to win winner-to-state, loser-out matches to earn state berths.
In the most interesting match of the day involving North Olympic Peninsula players, Stacy Hanson and Katrina Chan of Sequim defeated Alexis Corn and Laney Boyd of Port Angeles in a battle for the final girls doubles seed to state.
Hanson and Chan beat Corn and Boyd 7-6, 6-2.
In boys doubles action, Sequim’s Byron Boots and Michael Lee beat a North Kitsap doubles team 6-4, 6-2 to punch their ticket to state.
Boots also is the starting goalkeeper for the Sequim boys soccer team while Lee is a senior midfielder on the soccer squad.
Boys tennis is a fall sport but the league, district and state competition is held in the spring so postseason-qualified players must wait until the end of fall season in late October to middle May when the tournament season begins.
Rounding out the Sequim seeding victories, Maloney defeated Tai Pham of Interlake 6-1, 6-2 for a trip to state.
Sequim bi-district results
Boys Singles
No. 1: Maloney (Sequim) def. Pham (Interlake) 6-1, 6-2.
Girls Doubles
No. 1: Hanson/Chan (Sequim) def. Corn/Boyd (Port Angeles) 7-6, 6-2.
Boys Doubles
No. 1: Boots/Lee (Sequim) def. Ford-Olson (North Kitsap) 6-4, 6-2.
PA sends three
to state
TACOMA — The Roughriders faced three “win-and-you’re-in” matches at the bi-district championships Saturday.
Doubles teams Alexis Corn-Laney Boyd on the girls side and Hayden McCartney-A.J. Konopaski on the boys side, and boys singles player Micah Roos all found themselves fighting for a berth at the state tournament or their season was over, and the Riders came away with two wins.
Roos defeated Sameer Vohra of Evergreen High School of Vancouver, Wash., 6-2, 6-2 for the bi-district’s sixth seed to state.
“Micah lost the first two games of the match, then found his groove and played the best match I’ve seen from him over the past four years,” coach Brian Gundersen said.
“I couldn’t be happier for Micah because nobody has put in the time or been as dedicated to the game than Micah.”
Also qualifying for the state tournament was the doubles team of McCartney and Konopaski, who beat a team from Interlake of Bellevue for the fifth seed.
“We knew that Interlake was going to be tough, but Hayden and A.J. were very focused on earning a berth at state and came out on fire,” Gundersen said.
The Rider duo won 6-1, 2-6, 7-6.
Konopaski also was one of the two top pitchers on the baseball team while McCartney was a midfielder/forward on the soccer squad this spring season.
Senior captains Corn and Boyd saw their season come to an end, losing to Hanson and Chan of Sequim.
“Alexis and Laney really fought in that first set and came up just short, and I think it took the wind out of their sails in the second set,” Gundersen said.
“Alexis and Laney have played three tournaments in three weeks and have beaten some really good teams.
“Today just wasn’t our day, but I was very proud of our effort. Alexis and Laney have meant so much to our program and their leadership will be tough to replace.”
