It came down to the slimmest of margins, but the Centralia girls tennis team was able to hand Tumwater its first loss on Monday at Fort Borst Park.
The Tigers and T-Birds split their six matches, but Centralia won the games tiebreaker 62-61.
“Any time you get a team win — even when it’s as close as it was — against a team who came into the competition undefeated is a big confidence boost,” Centralia coach Keith Hopkins said. “We’re all reminded of the importance of giving our best effort and scraping for every point, game, set, and match.”
Centralia’s Maya Lackie topped Tumwater’s Chloe Henderson in straight sets in the top singles match, dropping just two games, and Tumwater’s Adela Schmiedeberg defeated Centralia’s Eliyah Rooklidge at the No. 3 singles spot.
Centralia’s Esther Hopkins ended up making a difference despite a loss at the second singles spot. After going down 2-5 in the first set, she won each of the next five games to win the set, and she won five games over the next two sets to help the Tigers win the tiebreaker.
Centralia’s Madi Breckel and Neela Haywood won their doubles match in three sets, and Suki Bringman and Saryn Pelesky won theirs in two.
“It felt like our first gorgeous spring day league match,” Keith Hopkins said. “And it was equally glorious defending our home courts.”
Tumwater’s Rosie Uhlmeyer and Ashlyn Spencer were able to pull out a tiebreaker win in the second set of their match to win in two sets.
Monday was the first of four straight match days for both teams.
The Tigers will head north to face Black Hills on Tuesday before returning home to host Tenino and Black Hills on Wednesday and Thursday, while Tumwater will head to Aberdeen on Tuesday and River Ridge on Wednesday before hosting W.F. West on Thursday.
The full results from Monday:
First singles: Maya Lackie (CEN) def. Chloe Henderson (TUM) 6-2, 6-0.
Second singles: Sarah Kim (TUM) def. Esther Hopkins (CEN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
Third singles: Adela Schmiedeberg (TUM) def. Eliyah Rooklidge (CEN) 6-3, 6-2.
First doubles: Rosie Uhlmeyer/Ashlyn Spencer (TUM) def. Ayden Butler/Brook Frakes 6-2, 7-6 (10-8).
Second doubles: Madi Breckel/Neela Haywood (CEN) def. Amelia Hopkins/Natalie Montoya-Kilmer (TUM) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
Third doubles: Suki Bringman/Saryn Pelesky (CEN) def. Shylee Chang/Phoenix Unell (TUM) 6-4, 6-2.
