Creswell, Sports Zone

Tennis Dawgs show they’ve got ‘game,’ get ‘set’ for districts

Improved play against tennis powerhouse Marist on April 29 and winning all but one match against Hidden Valley on May 1 boosted the confidence of Creswell High School tennis players in their final week of competition before this week’s district championships.
In boys’ singles matches at Marist, Ethan Stephens won the No. 1 match 6-4, 2-6, (10-7). Chance Leach lost in straight sets, 4-6, 2-6; Sky Leach won 0-6, 6-1, (10-8); and Evan Stephens lost 2-6, 3-6.
In boys’ doubles, Kizmo Chamnannarongsak and Luke Vaughn lost 0-6, 0-6; Ethan Stephens and Chance Leach lost a pro set, 2-8; and Evan Stephens and Sky Leach also lost their pro set 2-8.
A pro set is a single eight-game set (requiring a two-game margin of victory), instead of playing two six-game sets (with a possible additional tiebreaker).
“Marist is a very deep team, so it was great experience for us,” said Creswell Head Coach Tyler Hollingsworth. “It was good competition, and our guys actually played really well.”
In the lone boys’ singles match against Hidden Valley, Sky Leach won 6-0, 6-4. In doubles, brothers Ethan and Evan Stephens won 6-1, 6-0; and Vaughn and Chamnannarongsak won 7-6, 6-4.
“Hidden Valley had 17 girls but just five boys, so we played one singles match and two doubles,” Hollingsworth noted.
In girls’ singles against Hidden Valley, Emme Whitson won 6-3, 6-4; Brooklyn Grubbs lost 6-4, 2-6 (8-10); Makaela Seiber won 6-4, 2-6 (10-6); and Carley Wilkerson won 6-2, 6-0.
In doubles, sisters Emme and Kylee Whitson won 6-2, 6-1; Virginia Laird and Tara Keepers won 6-4, 6-2; and Seiber and Grubbs won 6-2, 6-0.
“We did a really good job,” Hollingsworth said. “They’re all first-year players like we are, so it was good competition, and getting those wins shows our kids that they’re progressing. It was great to get those positive results before districts.”
In Medford this week, Creswell’s boys’ and girls’ tennis teams are competing in their respective 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3 Championships, which will determine the district’s 4A/3A/2A/1A state qualifiers.

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