Sequim’s tennis aces came to play this past weekend at the Class 2A state tournament in Seattle, both coming away with top-three finishes.

Sequim High junior Garrett Little swept aside three foes before falling in the championship match to Sehome sophomore Zach Chai.

Little, the West Central District champ, and Chai have a little history: Little edged the Mariner in the third/sixth place match at last year’s state tourney.

“He’s a court rat and he loves it,” Sequim High coach Mark Textor said of Little, who said the Sequim youth put in plenty of time between the end of the regular season/early postseason in the fall, and this spring’s state tourney.

“Even though he played on the basketball team, he kept playing,” Textor said. “He always wants to play and practice more. As a coach, I have to ask him to stop playing.”

Little topped Conner Kunz of West Valley-Spokane in the opening round at the Northstrom Tennis Center, and Sehome’s Nathan Gruman in the quarterfinals.

Photo courtesy of Mark Textor / Sequim High’s Garrett Little and Kendall Hastings celebrate strong finishes at the class 2A state tennis tournament in Seattle on May 26. Little took second and Hastings placed third.

Little saw a familiar face in the semifinals, where he topped Port Angeles ace Reef Gelder in straight sets. But it wasn’t easy: After winning the first frame 6-4, Little slipped into a 4-1 hole against Gelder, though he rebounded to win five consecutive points.

“That could have gone either way,” Textor said. “[Garrett] put together best five games every seen him play.”

Hastings, a senior, placed third in the 2A girls singles bracket, one season after placing eighth at the state tourney.

She beat Audrey Zdunich of RA Long in the opener and topped Lowa Gresham of Bellingham in three sets in the quarterfinals.

In the semis, defending state champ Rhoa Wang of Pullman upended Hastings.

Battling for third or sixth place, Hastings then found herself in a match against Teegan DeVries, whom she had played — and lost to — in three matches this season. This time around, Hastings had the final word, winning in straight sets.

“I thought Kendall played the best match of her life,” Textor said. “She was super patient. When she got a ball she could attack, she attacked it fearlessly. She had a plan and she just stuck to it and stayed super positive.”

Wang went on to take the 2A title, topping West Central District champ Taraneh Khalighi of Sammamish.

As a team, Sequim’s boys (on the strength of Little’s finish) tied for fourth place. With Hastings’ finish, the SHS girls tied for fifth place.

“I’m super happy for both of them; they both played outstanding,” Textor said.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Friends, family and fellow Sequim High students send off their tennis aces Garrett Little and Kendall Hastings to the class 2A state tourney on May 25. Pictured, from left, are mom Caryn Little, Garrett Little, Kendall Hastings, mom Allison Hastings and sister McKenna Hastings.