GSL captures 3 of top 4 spots at Inland Empire tennis championships
Kyra Harames of Central Valley beat Gonzaga Prep’s Lizzie Marcinkowski in straight sets to win the No. 1 girls singles title at the 71st Inland Empire High School Tennis Championships on Saturday at Mead.
The Greater Spokane League captured three of the top four spots, with University’s Katie Smithgall taking fourth, losing to Hanford’s Ann Wang in the consolation final.
The tournament didn’t go off without a hitch. Rain caused challenges at some venues on Friday and caused an hour delay on Saturday morning.
“I think it caused more problem here (at Mead) than anywhere else,” co-tournament director Lynn Coleman said. “Friday it would rain for a while, then stop. We’d (dry) the courts and get kids out there to start play and then it would rain again. It did that over and over.”
The No. 1 boys singles finale featured Lewis and Clark’s Kyle Fager, a two-time champion, and Daniel Foster from West Valley-Yakima, who won the IE No. 1 singles title as a freshman and took two years off from high school tennis.
Foster captured his second IE title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
U-Hi’s Kyle Smithgall, the No. 3 seed, won a marathon battle with Hanford’s Will Thompson in the consolation final, winning both sets in tiebreakers.
Lewis and Clark swept the top two girls doubles titles. LC’s No. 1 girls doubles team, Abby DeNike and Brooke Fager, cruised to the title with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Quinci Fisher and Chelsea Li of Richland to take the No. 1 doubles title. Mary Stoa and Hannah Hendrickson topped Micki Thies and Sophie Orndorff of U-Hi in a marathon match for No. 2 girls doubles, 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, (10-8).
University’s Maygan Osborn and Randy Murock beat Pullman’s Haylee Gecas and May Qiang, 6-1, 6-1 to capture the No. 3 girls doubles title.
Jacob Johnson of LC added the No. 2 boys singles title to the Tigers’ haul, beating West Valley-Yakima’s Jimmy Morton in the finals, 6-1, 6-1.
Gonzaga Prep’s John Mackay and Tyler Timperman won the No. 1 boys doubles championship, beating Colton Sowers and Callum Pe of Richland in the finals, 6-1, 6-3.
Mead’s Mason Tullis and Niklas Reich survived an battle with Chelan’s Collin Hendricks and Micah Larson to win the No. 2 doubles title, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6).
Gonzaga Prep’s John Heath and Ben Schemmel beat Luke Orwig and Jack Everett of Mead to win the No. 3 doubles title, splitting the first two sets, 6-1, 2-6 and winning in a tiebreaker third (10-7).
Mead’s No. 1 boys singles player, Edward Liu, opted to play mixed doubles with Katie Kuka and won the No. 1 mixed title, beating Maggie Fiocchi and Robbie Fiocchi of Kennewick in the championship match, 7-5, 6-1.
And in a victory for the tournament’s smaller schools, Ephrata’s Brianne Kliphard and Derek Paynter won the No. 2 mixed doubles title, beating Kylee Hawley and Diego Villarreal of Othello in the finals, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.