The last time that the Cheney High’s boys tennis team faced Pullman, they fell 7-0. But during the rematch on April 24, the Blackhawks picked up two games against the Greyhounds and lost 5-2.
“It was a lot closer than the first time,” head coach Jesse Erickson said. “Overall I felt really good about our performance.”
Picking up one of the wins against Pullman was Hunter Pohl at No. 3 singles, losing 2-6 in the first set, but staging a comeback by winning the second 7-6 (7-5) and the ultimate tiebreaker 13-11.
“Hunter had a great battle,” Erickson said. “He found himself back in the second set. He was going for his shots. Credit to him, he never gave up.”
The other Blackhawk to earn a win was Jared Adams at No. 4 singles. Adams won his first set 6-4 and fell in a close second set by 5-7. He came back to seal his win in the third set, winning 6-3.
“Jared was able to take control early in the third set,” Erickson said. “He was dictating the play which is great to see.”
Other singles competition included Dixon Gerber at No. 1, falling 6-3, 6-1 and Aaron Fillmore at No. 2, losing 6-2, 6-1.
“Dixon was tied at 3-3 in the first set and then a string broke,” Erickson said. “He had to switch racquets and wasn’t able to come back from that. Aaron just lost to a really good player.”
In doubles, Jairus Kuhn and Ayden Henderson played in the top spot and fell in a three-set match. They won the first set 6-3, but fell 1-6 and 3-6 in the final two sets.
“Jairus and Ayden had some solid play and net play,” Erickson said. “There were a lot of deuce games. They were down 1-5 in the third set and made it 3-5. They tried their best on coming back.”
The other doubles teams included Logan Ray and John Laufenburger at No. 2, losing 6-2, 6-2 and Trevor Stewart and Alex Rose, falling 6-2, 6-1.
“Both teams had a lot of close games,” Erickson said.
The Blackhawks also competed at the Inland Empire that took place at a variety of places in Spokane.
“Overall, it was a really good day,” Erickson said. “We got in a lot of play with a lot of other schools. It was a great experience. The team kept their focus. None of them were let down after a loss. They are very confident.”
Cheney traveled to Clarkston on Tuesday, May 1, and plays at home today (May 3) against East Valley. The Blackhawks wrap up the regular season at West Valley on Tuesday, May 8 before traveling to Pullman for the district tournament on May 11-12.
Grace Pohl can be reached at grace@cheneyfreepress.com.
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