Entering Thursday’s varsity tennis match against Wilsonville, The Dalles girls’ tennis coach Debby Jones knew her group would have its work cut out.
Wilsonville swept through singles play, but the Riverhawks claimed wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles in a 6-2 loss against the host Wildcats.
“Wilsonville is a strong team with great depth and is the type of competition that we have to go up against if we want to really turn the corner,” Jones said. “They are a model of what we want to be in a few years.”
The doubles tandem of Johanna Wilson and Kiana Pielli picked up a solid win at No. 1 against Madi Wardle and Hanna Herlig, taking the opening set by a 6-3 margin, before grabbing the straight-sets winner in the second set, 6-2.
It was the second straight dominant performance by this newly-formed duo, so this could be a telltale sign down the road.
“This was their first real test, and again, against a team that made it to state last year,” Jones said of Wilson and Pielli. “To see them playing so well this early in the season is really motivating.”
At No. 3, Rebekah Kohltfarber and Ellie Trujillo went to work against the Wilsonville team of Jordan Hayes and Brynn Cunningham, and the Hawk duo started strong with a 6-2 win in the first set. They completed the sweep with another 6-2 score to give TD its second win on the day.
“They excelled under the pressure of the stronger competition and put together a dominant win,” Jones added.
On the singles side, Robin Pashek, Emma Smith-Ell, Jocelyn Hernandez and Brittany Bernstein all lost their matches in straight sets.
Pashek and Smith-Ell lost their matches to returning state qualifiers, so Jones said it was a stiff challenge they had to face.
Leslie Luna-Lopez and Abby Minnick lost their No. 2 doubles match and the No. 4 team of Cassie Vazquez and Maggie Corey went the distance in a three-set marathon against Tess Pritchett and Sophie Bynum.
The Wilsonville tandem won the opening set by a 6-3 margin, but Vazquez and Corey battled back for a 7-6 winner in the second set to set up the tiebreaker round.
There, Pritchett and Bynum found a way to outlast their Riverhawk opponents for a 10-5 third-set triumph.
“All-in-all, it was a good day,” Jones said. “We didn’t pick up the team win, but I can easily say that it was the best I’ve seen the majority of the girls play and that is where we need to be right now. I am very proud of their willingness to take on the challenge. All 34 girls got to get in a match and we picked up some additional wins on the JV side.”
TD hosted Redmond today, and then they head to Hermiston for a league matchup at 4 p.m. next Wednesday.
TD boys lose 7-1 to Wilsonville
Daniel Santillan stayed on a winning track, but the rest of The Dalles Riverhawks could not find a groove in a 7-1 loss Thursday at home against Wilsonville.
Playing at No. 2 singles, Santillan displayed his court coverage and took advantage of his serving prowess to sustain a 6-4, 6-4 winner against one of the toughest opponents he will face this season.
TD head coach Shea MacNab was impressed by Santillan’s output.
“Last year, Daniel could not close out a set that came down to a tiebreaker,” MacNab said. “This year, he has won all of his tiebreakers and he is no longer losing his close matches. His serve has improved as well as his confidence. It’s exciting to watch him take control over his matches this season.”
Aside from Santillan, Alex Lopez nearly came away with another win in his No. 4 singles match.
“Alex Lopez also had a great match,” MacNab said. “He lost, but each set came to a tiebreaker. He won the first set with a tiebreaker and then lost the last two. He showed a lot of patience with his match, which is not easy to do when every point means so much in a close match.”
William Coy and Omar Rodriguez lost their singles matches in straight sets, and the four doubles teams lost matches.
Luis Diaz and Jesus Barajas lost their No. 1 match, Ethan Martin and James Pashek lost at No. 2, Pedro Lopez and Brandon Bustamante were upended by an average margin of three set points and the No. 4 team of Caleb Turner and Paul Clark lost by the same average margin.
He liked what he saw from Martin and Pashek.
“Ethan and James also played as well as I have seen them play all season,” MacNab said. “I am really excited about these two freshmen. They are excited about playing tennis and their enthusiasm shows up each day at practice and in their matches.”
The Dalles heads to Redmond for a match at 4 p.m. on Monday.
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