OLYMPIA — W.F. West’s Claire Kuykendall and the doubles teams of Stephanie Drummond and Tiana Jeffries as well as Sydney Cameron and Jisu Han advanced to the second day in the sub-district girls tennis tournament at Steamboat Island Tennis Club here on Friday.
In singles, W.F. West’s Sadie Jerome won her opening match against Aberdeen’s Faith Baller, 6-3, 6-3. She advanced to take on Black Hills’ Makenna Beeson, falling 6-2, 6-0. Jerome faced Tumwater’s Leann White in the losers bracket and lost 6-2, 6-1 to end the season for the Jerome.
Claire Kuykendall was the other singles participant for the Bearcats. She won her opening match against Aberdeen’s Kylie Knodel, 6-1, 6-0, but lost to Centralia’s Carissa Kaut in the next match, 7-5, 6-1. Kuykendall was able to earn a win in her next match against Black Hills’ Alexa Hollandsworth, 6-3, 6-2. Kuykendall will take on Beeson on Tuesday in a loser out match.
“It took me the whole year she could play singles so well. she started winning so we kept her there. I’m really proud of her,” W.F. West coach Jack State said. “For a freshman with as little experience, it’s pretty remarkable. She’s got a chance against her, she can make it to districts.”
In doubles action, W.F. West’s Mak Moore and Lexis Haller lost to Tumater’s Josie Grimm and Ari Kee, 6-2, 6-1, to end their season.
Stephanie Drummond and Tiana Jeffries won their first match for the Bearcats against Aberdeen’s Alicia Raygoza and Isabel Rifenberg, 6-4, 6-2. Black Hills’ Abby Calver and Selina Ryser were too much for Drummond and Jeffries in the next match, falling 6-4, 6-2. The duo was able to bounce back with a win over Centralia’s Danika Jensen and Gracie Wiley in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Drummond and Jeffries will take on Grimm and Kee in a loser out match on Tuesday.
“They were like a yo-yo. They were up and down, played well for a while,” State said. “They managed to play well enough to get the chance to play off for a chance at districts, that will be a tough match.”
W.F. West’s Sydney Cameron and Jisu Han are the top seed in the tournament and they showed why on Friday. After a first round bye, the duo took down Black Hills’ Ainsley Campbell and Emily Schade, 6-2, 6-0. Cameron and Han defeated Grimm and Kee in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-0. The pair will take on Tumwater’s Sophia Koelsch and Abby Bond in the championship match on Tuesday.
“They really just handled Grimm and Kee, kept the pressure on them, hit good shots and found a way to put the ball back in play,” State said. “They were pretty dominant in that match. They played Koelsch and Bond earlier this year, that will be a tough match.”
Centralia’s Kaut reached the finals. After a first round bye, Kaut defeated Kuykendall. She then faced Tumwater’s Courtney Borovec in the semifinals, earning a win, 6-1, 6-0. Kaut will take on Tumwater’s Kailey Hickey in the finals on Tuesday.
Brynna Rooklidge lost to Tumwater’s White 7-5, 6-0 to end her season.
In doubles, Centralia’s Danika Jensen and Gracie Wiley won their first match of the day against Abby Jasper and Hannah Kolb, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2. After falling to Koelsch and Bond, the duo saw their season end against W.F. West’s Drummond and Jeffries.
Maddie Corwin and Liza Hopkins had a bye in the first round before facing Grimm and Kee, falling 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). The duo bounced back in the consolation bracket, defeating Black Hills’ Campbell and Schade, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, coming from behind 4-1 in both sets they won to keep their season alive. Corwin and Hopkins will face Black Hills’ Calvert and Ryser on Tuesday.
“I think this is where our girls did really well at subs. Even the girls doubles team that lost (Jensen/Wiley), it was one of their better matches they played,” Centralia coach Deb Keahey said. “Corwin and Hopkins, they always seem to fight back.”
The eight local players remaining will conclude the sub-district tournament on Tuesday.
