On top of her game

You can call her Mel.

At just a touch under 6 feet tall, West Valley’s top singles player – and tallest player period – junior Melody Dossey, goes by the team’s shortest name – edging teammate Sara Dunbar by a vowel.

In the amicable world of Greater Spokane League high school girls, tennis players are referred to on a first-name basis. As the Class 3A District Tournament unfolded Thursday at East Valley High School, the two names that were on everyone’s lips were “Katie” and “Mel.” Those names refer to the Valley’s two 3A No. 1 singles players: Dossey and East Valley’s Katie Lund.

Lund, the No. 1 seed going into the tournament, met Dossey, the No. 2 seed, Friday in the tourney’s championship game.

“I think everyone is interested in seeing those two play for the championship,” West Valley coach Clay Nelson said. “They played a great match during the regular season. It was decided on a third-set tiebreaker.”

Great isn’t exactly the way Dossey remembers that first meeting at East Valley.

“It was a big match,” she admitted. “But I had her 5-2 in the third set, and she came back to beat me.”

Does that loss nag at the top Eagle’s memory?

“No,” she says, emphatically. “You can’t let it. You have to put it behind you and move on.”

At the same time, she allowed, it does provide inspiration for the rematch.

“Mel is a different player than she was the first time they played,” Nelson said. “Mel has really learned just how commanding a presence she can be on the court.

“There were times last year where she would almost get bullied on the court – not that her opponents were being mean or anything, but they would just take charge and impose their will on the match.”

A dominating physical presence on the court, Dossey added a mental toughness to her makeup that allows her to dictate how the game will be played.

“She was playing against a much smaller girl who was just like a backboard – she returned everything,” Nelson said. “Between sets I asked Mel how long she thought her opponent could run back and forth on the court.

“I told her that she wouldn’t have to run as much if she charged the net and played a serve and volley game against her – that she would force her to have to decide what she was going to do.

“It all clicked.”

There were times when Nelson could read his player’s temperament by watching her body language.

“You could see it,” he said. “Her shoulders would slump and she’d shrink. Now, in a tough match, you can see her body language change.

“You can see her pick herself up between points.”

The important aspect of the district tournament was decided Thursday, when both Lund and Dossey won semifinal matches. That earned each a berth in the regional tennis tournament next week in Sunnyside.

For Dossey, it’s a return trip to regionals.

Last year, as West Valley’s No. 2 singles player, Dossey advanced to regionals – knocking off Dunbar, then the team’s No. 1 player – to earn the berth.

“Regionals – that’s a whole different world,” Dossey said. “Last year I started the tournament by playing a girl from Hanford who had her own tennis court in her back yard.

“That’s a whole different level of tennis. You get players who play the year around at a country club, players who have had years of lessons and years of tournaments.”

That’s not Dossey’s background.

“I just play in the spring and the summer,” she said. “I play for the school and during the summer I play mixed doubles with my dad.”

This spring started out with a battle to become the West Valley No. 1 singles player. Kara Kazemba returned, and a playoff with Dossey and Dunbar wound up tied in a knot.

Dunbar beat Kazemba, Kazemba beat Dossey, and Dossey beat Dunbar.

“It was interesting there for a while,” Dossey said. “We each had a win over one of the others.”

Kazemba, who has struggled with lupus the past two seasons, had to bow out because of the pain in her hips.

“With Kara out, I could beat Sara, so I got to be No. 1,” Dossey said. “The great thing is, though, we’re all really close on the team. After I won my third match Thursday, Sara was right there before I could get off the court to give me a big hug and congratulate me.”