Fullhart makes good showing in tennis

Junior Ben Fullhart made a good showing at his first appearance at the boys 4A tennis state championships, held May 20-22 at the University of Oregon. Fullhart won two consecutive matches in consolation before he lost in the semi-final round.

Fullhart started out on Thursday with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 win over Jordan Curtis of Baker in the pigtail match. Fullhart and Curtis play similar games, which turned out to be tough for both players. The first set took an hour-and-a-half and was tight the entire time. Ben's stronger ground strokes finally gave him an edge and he went on to easily win the second set.

Later in the day Fullhart lost 3-6, 5-7 to Maximilian Hey from La Salle Prep, which put him in the consolation bracket where all matches are pro sets except the finals match.

Ben bested Edgar Lemus of Umatilla 8-3 and it was evident that Fullhart was the stronger all-around player. Ben had better serves and better ground strokes, specifically forehand.

Fullhart advanced to the semi-finals on Saturday and was defeated 8-6 by Paul Spivey of Vale. Spivey went on to win the final match in consolation.

"He was the aggressor and on the attack," said Fullhart. "I had a hard time getting it past him at the net."

Overall, Fullhart was happy with his performance.

"It was a great experience and I got to play a lot of tennis and watch a lot of tennis," said Fullhart. "I was happy with my results because to just get there was an accomplishment for me. Next year, I definitely would like to make it to the semi-finals in the regular field and place in the top four. I plan to play five to six days a week until next season to prepare."

In team play, Catlin Gable finished with 20 points and was crowned state champion. Oregon Episcopal was runner up with 14 points and Estacada finished third with eight points.