Cheney girls' tennis picks up wins over Shadle Park, Medical Lake

The Cheney High girls tennis team is blazing through the beginning of its season.

They went 2-1 at the March 13 jamboree with wins over Othello, 4-3, and Moses Lake, 4-3, and a loss to Ellensburg, 2-5. On March 18, the Blackhawks defeated Shadle Park, 4-3, then picked up a 6-1 win over Medical Lake the next day.

“We were relying on our doubles to come out on top,” head coach Jason Overland said regarding the Shadle Park match. “It was the first time in a while, that all three doubles won. It was a team effort.”

At No. 1 singles, Katleynn Smedley started her senior season in a flurry, going 4-1 in her first two weeks of the season. After she went 3-0 in Moses Lake, she lost a tough match to the Highlanders’ Audra Spargo (3-6, 1-6). Smedley rebounded from the loss and defeated the Cardinals’ Alyssa Fitzgerald (6-1, 6-4).

Bridget Calvert, a newcomer to varsity this season, is undefeated at 5-0 with three shutouts.

Grace Pohl, who is playing her third year on varsity, is at 3-2. Rachel Hansen, who missed the jamboree, is 1-1 this season with a win over Annika Gahan (6-2, 6-4).

“I was very happy for the singles players who bounced back from their losses (at Shadle Park),” Overland said. “It shows a lot of character and toughness.”

Linsay Sweitzer, who went 2-1 in singles action at the jamboree, teamed up with Sarah Fillmore at No. 2 doubles. The pair went 2-0 with wins over Jillian Froves and Emma Wagley (6-1, 6-1) and Emma Ransom and Alyssa Pena (6-3, 6-0).

At No. 3 doubles, Sadie Knutson and Shayla Payne are 2-0 with wins over Shadle Park’s Ebba Lovestrom and Bailey Fiechtner (6-1, 6-1) and Medical Lake’s Jasmine Uribes and Taylor Ruggles (6-2, 6-0).

At No. 1 doubles, Leanna Eik and Kaitlyn Sweeney are 1-1 with a win over Shadle’s Aalay Lopez and Anna Wood-Garnes (6-2, 6-1).

Alannah Lewis and Emily Howard were the only Cheney doubles team to win a match in Moses Lake.

After their March 24 match against Central Valley, the Blackhawks travel to Lewis and Clark March 27 to play the Tigers.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.