By Mike Weber
For Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER - The five-member Hood River Valley Eagles OSAA Class 5A boys and girls tennis teams capped the season by participating in the state tournament May 22-23 at the West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club in Portland.
The girls trio of state qualifiers Kaylen Mitchell, Anna Dalbey and Charlotte Fuller, along with the boys state qualifying squad of brothers Kane and Kash Wagner highlighted the event for the Eagles tennis team. All five players had 1-1 records and they all concluded the season ranked among the top eight teams in the state.
The Eagles girls trio, guided by eighth-year Coach Peg Bogard, had a solid performance in reaching the quarterfinals of the tourney.
“We are all proud of Kaylen’s exceptional season,” said Bogard. “Her skills are an inspiration to her teammates. She has put in an incredible amount of time and work to reach such a high level of competition as a freshman. She’s ready to get right back to it and broaden her skills as she’ll come back next year well prepared to compete again at the state tournament.”
It was the first state tournament for the girls trio, which is a fabulous way for doubles senior players Dalbey and Fuller to conclude their HRV tennis careers. “Anna and Charlotte played the best dynamic and strategic matches of their Hood River Valley High School career on Friday,” said Bogard. “Their movement, court awareness and poaching were exceptional. Their leadership on and off the court will be greatly missed.”
Dalbey and Fuller will continue playing in tournaments together throughout the summer. Both will attend college at the University of Vermont in the fall.
Dalbey and Fuller won their first-round match, 6-0, 6-1, over the Thurston High Colts’ doubles team. The Eagles duo then advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals where they lost, 6-1, 6-2, to the Silverton High Davisson sisters to conclude their season.
“The Davisson sisters are a formidable team that challenged Anna and Charlotte in every aspect of their game,” said Bogard. “Anna and Charlotte finished the match knowing that they played their top game. As their coach, I’m incredibly proud of the game they played.”
Mitchell, a freshman who is HRV’s No. 1 singles player, won her first-round match Friday, 6-0, 6-0, over Lilly Hall, a Churchill High junior. Mitchell then lost in Friday’s quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-0, to Suzie Liu, a Crescent Valley High freshman.
“Kaylen cruised through her first match in the warmup to the quarterfinals with Liu,” said Bogard. “The two ninth graders hit highly skilled, powerful rallies during an afternoon match. Kaylen remained calm and she applied different strategies, while searching for a way to fend off Liu under a very hot sun.”
The Eagles boys squad was represented by the Wagners, who reached the state quarterfinals. The Wagners won their first-round match on Friday, 6-0, 6-0, to advance to the eight-team quarterfinals. The Wagners then lost 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-2 to the La Salle Prep High Falcon doubles team to conclude the season.
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