Girls tennis sends six to next round

The girls tennis squad competed in the first round of districts held at the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland, Washington, on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11. The team played well, and will send four singles players and one doubles team to the quarterfinals, which will be held at Crook County High School on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. 

Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) blanked her two opponents, D. Patricio from Irrigon and Rodriquez from Umatilla, 6-0, 6-0.

“Juhree was the leader of the team and moved swiftly through the draw without dropping a game and only a few points,” said Coach Bruce Fenn.

Katie Ryan (No. 2 singles) was very consistent and stayed focused throughout the day. She blanked Gomorrah from Irrigon 6-0,6-0, and then beat Cordero of Crook County 6-2, 6-0.

Shay Wyland, at No. 3 singles, tallied a 6-3, 6-0, win over Valencia of Irrigon and then recorded a 6-1, 6-0, victory over Diaz. Wyland was also consistent and focused throughout both matches.

Rylie Bick (No. 4 singles) rounded out the singles victories. Bick recorded a 6-0, 6-1, win over Rodriquez of Irrigon, and then won 3-6, 6-3, 10-3, in a big upset over No. 4 seed Torre of Irrigon.

Fenn said, “Rylie defeating Torre was the story of this first round. Rylie was the underdog, but fought back after losing the first set. She was exhausted, but determined. The new tactic was to get Torre moving more than Rylie. That worked, and Rylie stormed back to win the second set, and then cruised to a win in the sudden death tiebreaker.”

In doubles play, the duo of Leah O’Hern and Sophie Rush blanked Bish and Riggs 6-0, 6-0, and then notched a 6-3, 7-5, win over Ollivaries and DeloReyes of Madras. The Outlaw pair stayed positive in their second match. After easily winning the first set, they faced a possible tiebreaker, but were able to close it out 7-5.

Sisters No. 3 doubles (Stahn and Carter) and No. 4 doubles (Sullivan and Panozzo) are all freshmen players.

“These freshman girls all played well and the experience they gained is invaluable,” said Fenn. “They are an inspiration on our team.”

Fenn added, “It’s exciting to watch our team pull together. We will rest up Monday and then hit the hard courts for practice. This year has been a roller coaster of bad weather which prevented outside practices, but the kind invitation from Eagle Crest moms and dads to have our team as guests helped greatly and gave our team a chance to practice. We are on a mission to defend our title from last year.”