Season ends at league tourney

When the Tri-District 1A tennis tournament begins later this week at the University of Washington, there’s going to be one glaring absence.

No Coupeville girls.

For the first time in nine years, the Wolves failed to advance one female past the league tournament into the next round.

“Graduation was the biggest reason why we did not win,” said CHS coach Ken Stange, referring to his young roster. “That said, we fared well in all our JV contests, which bodes well for the future.”

The Wolves ended the Northwest A/B season with a record of 1-5, breaking an eight-year streak of consecutive league titles.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, the same tough luck that plagued them all regular season carried over into Saturday’s Northwest A/B championships at CHS as league opponents Friday Harbor and Darrington won all Tri-District qualifying matches.

Number one CHS singles player, sophomore BriAnna Stevenson, was hampered by an ankle injury and struggled in a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Friday Harbor’s Mariko Hart.

Number two player, senior Sharlie Blouin, lost her match to Friday Harbor’s Claire Burke 6-4, 6-2.

The Wolves’ number one doubles team of Nicole Smith and Ashley Sanders played the only three-set match of the day for CHS, losing 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to Darrington’s Jill Frable and Becky Goldman.

Coupeville’s number two doubles team of junior Catherine Mitchell and sophomore Laura Millhouse played a hard-fought match with Darrington’s Ashley Griffiths and Amber Reece, but fell 6-2 in the first set and 7-6 in a second-set tiebreaker.

Although no girls advanced to the next round, CHS boys Jake Weaver and Josh LaPoint still have a chance to make the Tri-District tournament as they compete in qualifying tournament today, May 17.

The boys tennis season takes place in the fall, but the district and state tournaments are delayed until the spring.

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