All four Federal Way high schools will be represented at the Class 4A State Boys and Girls Tennis Tournaments.
Players from Beamer, Jefferson, Decatur and Federal Way will take to the courts in the Tri-Cities Friday and Saturday at state after finishing in the top-six at the West Central District Tournament at Tacoma’s Sprinker Recreation Center Saturday.
Not surprisingly, Decatur junior Meghan Cassens cruised through the singles bracket to win her third-straight district championship. The defending state champ won all four of her matches in straight sets, including a 6-1, 6-3 win over Central Kitsap’s Corrinne Wurden in the final.
Cassens will be joined by Jefferson’s Averi Kitsch in the girls’ singles state bracket. Kitsch finished sixth at the West Central District Tournament after winning two-straight, loser-out matches Friday. After winning her opener, Kitsch beat teammate Breanna Ziccarelli, 6-2, 6-3, and Federal Way’s Haley Ward, 6-2, 6-1, to earn the trip to state.
On the girls’ doubles court, Jefferson’s Mackenzie Qualls and Caroline Min made a somewhat surprising run to the West Central District’s third seed to state in doubles action. The TJ pair, both seniors, advanced into the semifinals after finishing seventh at the SPSL Tournament.
Qualls and Min upset Puyallup’s Emily Sullivan and Kaylyn Brown in the opening round before beating the Narrows League’s top team, South Kitsap’s Chloe Helms and Kailyn Skjonsby in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-3, to earn an automatic state berth.
Qualls and Min eventually lost in the semifinals before beating Auburn’s Peyton Prothero and Karen Wentzke in the third/fifth match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
But an even bigger surprise at the West Central Tournament might have been the impressive play of the Federal Way doubles team of Lauren Lang and Mina Park.
The Eagle team finished up in sixth place to snare the district’s final berth into the Class 4A state tournament. Lang and Park, both sophomores, dropped their opening-round match Wednesday to a team from Olympia, before winning three-straight loser out matches in the consolation bracket. The Federal Way pair finished eighth at the SPSL Tournament.
Lang and Park beat a team from Stadium High School Friday morning, 7-6 (9), 6-2, before earning an injury default victory over Helms and Skjonsby.
The Federal Way pair then beat Kentridge’s Jazmin Ah Yat and Alissa Lee, 6-3, 6-4 to earn an automatic berth to state. Lang and Park then lost a seeding match to earn the district’s sixth and final seed to state.
On the boys’ side, Beamer’s Joseph de la Cruz finished fourth in singles’ action and the Rosa brothers from Jefferson, Kainoa and Makoa, snagged the district’s fifth seed in doubles.
De la Cruz lost in the quarterfinals, before winning three-straight consolation matches. The Titan sophomore eat Bellarmine Prep’s Nick Noronha in the fourth/sixth match, 6-4, 6-2.
After advancing to the semifinals, the Rosa brothers dropped a pair of three-set matches to finish fifth at the district tournament. The TJ pair lost to eventual champs, Michael and Brian Pinkard from Puyallup, in the semis, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
