Fueled by a clean sweep in doubles and four straight set victories, the Thunderbirds posted a 5-1 Class 2A Evergreen Conference verdict over the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon at Centralia Middle School.
Tumwater’s No. 2 tandem of Rosie Uhlmeyer and Ashlyn Spencer took a 1-0 lead trying for a sweep, but the duo from Centralia Edan Glunt and Aydan Butler responded with a 6-4 triumph in the second set to square the match at one.
Uhlmeyer and Spencer regrouped and pieced together a 6-2 win and a three-set victory. Adela Schmiedeberg and Kayla Pope (No. 1 doubles) plus Natalie Montoya Kilmer and Elle Shoemaker (No. 3 doubles) pulled out straight set wins.
"Well fought matches revealing things we need to focus on," Tumwater head coach Jim Click said. "I thought both teams played well with lots of new players competing on both teams."
The No. 1 singles contest between Chloe Henderson and Maya Lackie was a thriller.
Lackie, the Tigers’ right-hander, cruised to win the opening set while the Thunderbirds’ Henderson broke Lackie once and tied the match at a set apiece. In a back-and-forth third set, Lackie posted a 7-5 win to end up as the lone Tiger with a victory.
“We have a young team,” Centralia coach Scott Snyder said. “(We have) things to still work on.”
Tumwater’s Claire Buono and Sarah Kim posted wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
Tumwater 5, Centralia 1
No. 1 singles – Maya Lackie (Centralia) def. Chloe Henderson 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
No. 2 singles – Claire Buono (Tumwater) def. Suki Bringman 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 singles – Sarah Kim (Tumwater) def. Esther Hopkins 6-4, 6-1
No. 1 doubles – Adela Schmiedeberg/Kayla Pope (Tumwater) def. Brook Frakes/Neela Haywood 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 doubles – Rosie Uhlmeyer/Ashlyn Spencer (Tumwater) def. Aydan Butler/Edan Glunt 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
No. 3 doubles – Natalie Montoya Kilmer/Elle Shoemaker (Tumwater) def. Phoenix Watson/Eliyah Rooklidge 6-0, 6-0
