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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

CV’s Leslie Ho earns 4th straight 4A tennis berth

Central Valley tennis standout Leslie Ho is headed back to the state tournament – but that’s not what she’s most excited about. “Last year, there were no plaques in our display case at CV for tennis,” said Ho, who beat Mead’s Chelsea Motzer 6-3, 6-2 in the girls singles final on Saturday at the 4A regional tournament at CV to earn a fourth straight state berth. “Now, as a team, we’ve changed that,” she added. The Bears won the regional team title behind Ho’s victory and a second-place finish from the CV doubles team of Samantha Block and Charlotte Schmitz, who fell 7-5, 7-6 to Davis pair Erica and Megumi Demond in the championship match. “I’m excited to have made it again because it’s my last year, but I’m even more excited that we did it as a team,” Ho said. “I think we can all place if we can stay on top of our games. Hopefully, we can finish strong.” From the Greater Spokane League, Block and Schmitz will be joined in doubles by Lewis and Clark’s Haley Strandness and Rachel Smith, who earned the third and final spot to state – beating Wenatchee’s Claire Konen and Rachel Schueller 6-1, 7-6. 4A boys: Gonzaga Prep’s Alex Marcinkowski crushed Richland’s Travis Zuroske in the title match with a 6-1, 6-0 win, and Ferris’ Tom Geranios defeated Saxons teammate Trevor Fennessy 6-4, 6-3 to capture the final berth. The Saxons finished second to Richland in the team standings. In an all-local, third-place match, Lewis and Clark’s Luke Brittan and Jordan Strandness needed three sets to eliminate Mead’s TJ Westre and Noah Schwab and capture the final spot. The Washington 4A state tennis championships are Friday and Saturday at Richland High and the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland. 3A: At University, the Columbia Basin Big Nine dominated the 3A regional field, capturing all three slots to the state tournament in boys’ singles and doubles, and girls’ singles and doubles. Hanford’s Luke Thompson defeated West Valley of Yakima’s Aaron Farmer in straight sets in the boys’ singles final, while Hanford’s Sierra Troxel beat Bekah Waterhouse from Eastmont in straight sets in the girls’ singles title match. Mt. Spokane’s Connor Larkin – the GSL’s top-seeded player on the boys’ side – was fourth, narrowly missing the final berth in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 loss to West Valley-Yakima’s Mitch Anderson. The State 3A tournament is Friday and Saturday at Kamiakin High and the Tri-City Court Club in Kennewick. 2A: Pullman’s Hannah Adams made it all the way to the singles title match before losing and the Greyhounds took first place in the regional tournament. Adams fell 6-4, 6-0. Pullman’s Stephanie Her beat Ellensburg’