Girls tennis: SHS improves to 13-2, heads into postseason

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 9, 2018

No let-up here.

Sequim High’s girls tennis squad finished off an impressive regular season with a 6-1 win over Olympic on May 3 to cap the Wolves’ regular season at 13-2, second only to North Kitsap in the Olympic League.

It was the final postseason tune-up for the Wolves, who look to advance singles and doubles pair from the Olympic League tourney — set for May 9-10 at North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo — on to districts.

“I’m really happy with the season, especially with our growth,” Sequim coach Mark Textor said.

“A lot of girls showed a lot of improvement all season. That’s a product of being so young; as we gain experience we’re getting better.”

That growth nearly led to a league title, with another team of purple and gold from Poulsbo in their way.

“We played (close) with NK,” Textor said, noting Sequim’s only losses of the season came at the hands of the undefeated North Kitsap squad, 5-2 on April 23 and 4-3 on April 24. “We were right there.”

Now Sequim focuses on league, district and state tournaments.

By virtue of a top-two finish, Sequim gets at least two singles and two doubles entries into league play, with more possible. Those berths and seeds get hashed out at a league meeting on May 7.

Textor said last week he was still contemplating which players would be competing in singles and doubles play, but that his top seeds were already decided. Junior Isabelle Hugoniot, with an 8-3 mark this season, will be SHS’s No. 1 singles player, while sophomore Jessica Dietzman is paired with freshman Kalli Wiker as Sequim’s No. 1 doubles team; they are 8-0 as a duo this spring.

Textor said that after a season of mixing and matching players in and out of singles and doubles play and with various partners, it’s a challenge to figure out a postseason lineup.

“You have to look at combinations of kids, how well they play together and their individual strengths,” he said. “(It comes down to) how you feel they have the chance to be the most successful. It’s always tough; not everyone gets to go on (and) you wish they could.”

Top players’ teams from the league tourney play at the West Central District tournament at the Kitsap Tennis Athletic Club in Bremerton May 18 and 19.

The top five singles and doubles teams advance to the state 2A tennis tourney, slated for May 25-26 in Seattle.

Topping the Trojans

Against Olympic, the Wolves swept all but one singles match, with Olivia Preston — now 5-2 on the season — topping Ryleigh Barrett 6-0, 7-5 in No. 2 singles play and Tea Gauthun beating Alexis Valenzuela 6-3, 6-1 in No. 3 singles.

Dietzman and Wiker survived a tough first set to knock off Olympic’s Brooklyn Haro and Sydney Troy 6-4, 6-1, while McKenna Hastings and Ashley Rosales improved to 8-1 on the season with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Emry Bohlmann and Sarah Ann Polsin, 6-1 and 6-1.

Amanda He and Arlene Law had a tougher time in their match but managed a 6-2, 2-6, 10-6 win over D.J. Cherry and Kaylani Riley to stay undefeated (6-0) as a doubles team this season. Emily Bundy and Eden Johnson added a straight-set win in No. 4 doubles play.

See photos of the match here.