Don’t Tell The Girl Knights That Tennis Is Game Of Individuals

East Valley’s girls take a cerebral approach to tennis. As a result, for the third time in Aaron Altender’s seven years as head coach, the Knights are Frontier League champions.

“Opponents are amazed at how our girls are always wanting to know the team match score, when often other teams’ girls are rising and falling on how they did individually,” Altender said.

That attention to team detail helped determine which matches EV needed to win in order to assure a victory. Not that they lost many.

This year, EV finished 7-1, led by No. 1 singles player Nancy Hundrup, EV’s only fouryear girls varsity letter winner, and the No. 3 doubles team of Tanya Phillips and Brandy Rowles that lost only one match in two years.

Hundrup was 11-2 during the season and finished second in district.

She and No. 2 singles player Barb Norquist made the All-Frontier team and are joining forces today as one of two EV doubles teams attempting to qualify for state.

Phillips and Rowles were 12-0 in matches this year. The No. 2 doubles team of Val White and Jenny Howald went 11-1, No. 1 doubles team of Joette Tomblin and Solveig Ekenes were 10-2, as was No. 3 singles player Jody Baker.

In addition, EV’s No. 4 singles player, freshman Sharon Wentz, was unbeaten in five varsity matches and six junior varsity contests. Stefanie Brandvold was also undefeated in varsity and junior varsity singles and doubles competition.

Altender marveled at his players’ dedication. Normal daily practice is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“After a fourth consecutive rainy day, I tried to send these girls home early from in-the-gym practice,” he said. “They refused and actually stayed until 6:30 p.m.”

If girls missed for any reason, he said they were at school for Thursday morning makeups at 6:30 a.m.

Altender added that in this day and age winning is nice but having the supportive parents and dedicated players was even better.

“In my 15 years of coaching, I have had good athletes and nice athletes, but rarely have they come in the same year,” Altender said. “It has been a once in a career kind of season.”

U-Hi’s Butler back with mask

Wearing a protective mask for a cheekbone shattered by a baseball, University’s Ben Butler showed little fear of the projectile in his return following a two-week layoff.

Miraculously back in the lineup after surgery for the injury, Butler accounted for 50 percent of the Titans’ offensive production during last Tuesday’s district finale.

Butler lashed a run-scoring hit in the second and his bloop single scored another run during the decisive fifth inning of a 4-3 win.

The game also produced a defensive gem by shortstop Chris Kreider who, moments after booting a ball in the fourth, attoned by diving to his right and snaring a low line drive that he turned into U-Hi’s second double play of the game.

The league and district champion Titans play Big Nine champion but district runnerup Kennewick during regional competition in Wenatchee.

Winner of the four-team singleelimination playoff advances to next week’s State AAA baseball finals in Spokane.

League champs seek state

West Valley has never gone undefeated in Frontier League softball, but seldom in 11 years has the team been out of first place.

The Eagles won their sixth championship with a 14-1 record and four-game lead over co-runnersup East Valley and Cheney.

Today they are seeking their ninth state trip during the day-long eightteam district tournament at Franklin Park that qualifies three teams to the AA-A event in Tacoma.

At 10 a.m. the AA number. 1 seed Eagles play Northeast A no. 4 Lakeside and Frontier no. 4 Knights play A no. 1 Riverside in the first game of the double-elimination event.

Cheney and Newport are on WV’s side of the bracket, Hanford and Kettle Falls on EV’s side.

Hole-in-one at Painted Hills

During weekly medal competition for Painted Hills Ladies Golf Club, Jan Bauman shot a hole-in-one.

The ace came on the fourth hole and helped her share A flight low gross honors with Carol McVicker.

In B flight, Marion Pillsbury and Sherrel Roshdy each had 53.

Other low gross scores were Betty Hennessey with 55 in C, Sally Olson with 62 in D and Maureen Williams who shot a no-handicap 59.

Net winners included Cheryl McCarthy who had 35 in A flight, Virginia Lemmer with 35 in B flight, Dorothy Dinius with 33 in C flight and Trish Behrens with 36 in D.

Liberty Lake 9-Hole golf

During medal play last week for the Liberty Lake 9-Holers Golf Club, Adrienne Shoemaker led the way.

She shot a low gross 50 in A flight. Other flight winners were Ruth Jenkins with 55 in B, Marion McLellan in C and Thelda Moen in D with 66s. Moen needed only 13 putts during the nine holes of play.

Net winners were Elaine Tai with 37 in A flight, Polly Soderquist with 35 in B, Min Gutterud with 43 in C and Vi Bormes with 41 in D.

Liberty Lake 18-Hole Club

Liberty Lake Ladies 18-Hole Golf Club conducted its monthly Liberty Cup competition and putting.

Jodi Cantrell was the Cup leg winner with a net 70 and shared low putt honors in C flight with Colleen Wisenor at 28 each.

In A Flight, Pat Celena had 29. B flight leader Dorothy Womach took 27 putts. And in D flight, Pat Lindman needed 31 putts.