Oak Harbor netters nudge Sehome

"Defeating Sehome in girls' tennis used to be an impossible feat for Oak Harbor. However, the mystique of beating Sehome has definitely ended for the Wildcats this spring.^Oak Harbor edged Sehome 4-3 Thursday in Bellingham in a battle of 4-A Western Conference powers. It was the second time this season Oak Harbor had defeated Sehome. Last month the Wildcats won in Oak Harbor 4-3.^Last year we played Sehome twice and they beat us both times 4-3 because the swing matches went their way. Both times this year the swing matches went our way, Oak Harbor coach Horace Mells said.^Oak Harbor pulled off the victory by winning the No. 1 doubles. Jenna Wehrell and Nicole Nolte rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jennifer Giller and Janet Eiford. Wehrell and Nolte are undefeated this season.^I was worried when they lost the first set. They hadn't lost a set all year and I was concerned how they would bounce back, Mells said. I felt pretty good about their chances when they won the second set.^In the No. 1 singles, Oak Harbor's Stacie Pate and Sehome's Morgan Smith had another battle. Pate, undefeated this spring, won 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.^Stacie and Morgan always have tough contests. They usually go three sets, Mells said.^Oak Harbor's other victories came from No. 2 singles Theresa Black, who defeated Eryn Koch 6-4, 6-0; and No. 3 singles Charissa Brecht, who overwhelmed Shannon Ba-Aye 6-0, 6-0.^The victory boosted Oak Harbor's Northern Division-leading record to 9-1 while Sehome dropped to 7-2. Oak Harbor has four regular season matches left. If the Wildcats win all four they would play the Southern Division-leader, most likely Edmonds-Woodway, at Oak Harbor on May 8 for the league championship.^We still have some matches to be played. We can't look to far down the road because anything can happen, Mells said.^Edmonds-Woodway handed Oak Harbor it's only loss of the season.^Tuesday, the Wildcats posted a 6-1 victory over visiting Snohomish. Oak Harbor swept all the singles and the first two doubles.^"

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.