Stimes give Mead share of team title

VANCOUVER – Who knew a fourth-place doubles match meant so much?

Not Britta and Katijene Stime.

The Mead sisters clinched fourth place in the State 4A tournament at the Vancouver Tennis Center Saturday with a come-from-behind three-set victory over Central Kitsap’s Katherine and Sachi Sugimoto.

More important, the 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win earned the Panthers girls a share of the team championship with Central Kitsap.

“That’s so cool,” the two said together when they learned of the team honor.

“We had no idea,” added Britta. “I’m glad we didn’t have that added pressure.”

Britta, a junior, and Katijene, a freshman, were one of five Greater Spokane League entries to take home medals.

Mead senior Katrina Schwab beat Roosevelt’s Hallie Martin 6-2, 6-1 for third place in girls singles.

Schwab, last year’s doubles champ teamed with Britta Stime, fell 6-4, 6-1 in a morning semifinal to Decatur freshman Meghan Cassens.

The Ferris boys earned a fourth-place team trophy with a fourth-place finish from senior Whitman Hough in singles, and two wins from the doubles team of Colin Siok and Kevin Satre.

It was Hough’s highest finish in four state tournaments. It was a bit anticlimactic, however, when Bellarmine Prep’s Brian McPhee had to default because of injury.

“I was bummed out,” Hough said about McPhee’s prematch withdrawal. “We’re good friends. We’ve known each other since we were 12. I wished we could have played.”

Ferris senior Katie Griffith earned fourth in girls singles, her first medal in three tries at state.

“My goal was to place,” she said. “It’s really good, as a senior, to get a medal.

Mead’s boys doubles team of Ethan Burns and Ethan Vaughn, also earned fourth, defeating Kentridge’s Zach Ahyat and Luyang Gai.

“It’s more of a relief,” Burns said after winning two matches on the final day. “You’re happy to win, but the competition is so tough. Getting fourth is a huge accomplishment.”

Burns and Vaughn lost the opening set of the consolation semifinal to GSL rivals, Siok and Satre, before prevailing, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Kentwood’s Max Manthou won his second straight boys singles title.

Gig Harbor sophomore Christy Sipes avenged a loss in last year’s final by beating Cassens for the girls singles title.

2A: Richard Muszynski III won a boys singles championship and helped lead Clarkston to the state team title at Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle.

Muszynski defeated Medical Lake’s Max Nelson 6-0, 6-2 in the championship match as Clarkston piled up 23 total points to breeze past runners-up Sehome and W.F. West with 12 points.

Also aiding Clarkston’s cause was a fifth-place finish by Kyle Servatius, who fell to Sehome’s Will Topp 6-0, 7-6 in the consolation finals. The Bantams also got a fourth-place finish from the doubles team of Dustin McConnell and Shane Roberts, who defeated Bellingham’s Kyle Buckham and Andrew Troutman 6-3, 7-5.

Medical Lake finished in a three-way tie for fourth with nine points.

•Clarkston’s girls totaled 10 points and finished fourth behind the fifth-place finish of Elise Rooney.

Rooney dropped a 3-6, 2-6 decision to Ellensburg’s Katie Kelleher in the consolation finals.

Pullman had four points to finish in a two-way tie for 12th, while Colville had two points and ended in a six-way tie for 14th.

1A girls: Hannah and Lea Jansen won the girls doubles title and catapulted Freeman to the state championship at the Yakima Tennis Center.

The Jansens topped Bush’s Charlotte Scott and Cassie Mullen 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the title match.

Freeman outscored runner-up Annie Wright 14-10 to win the team title.

Gina Spring of Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) lost to Cascade’s Leah Newell 4-6, 0-6 and finished sixth in girls singles. Lakeside tied for 12th place.

2B/1B girls: Davenport’s Jennifer Smith won the girls singles title and teammate Jennifer Curley placed fourth to lead the Gorillas to the team title at the Yakima Tennis Center.

Smith defeated Wilson Creek’s Ksenja Fredere in a walkover in the finals, while Curley downed LaCrosse-Washtucna’s Angela Potter 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 in the consolation match for fourth and sixth places.

Davenport totaled 17 points, seven more than runner-up Sprague-Harrington. Reardan (nine) tied for third, followed by St. George’s (eight, tied for fifth). Wilbur-Creston and LaCrosse-Washtucna each scored five and tied for 10th.

Soon Lee of St. George’s was sixth in singles play after posting a 6-1, 6-3 victory over La Salle’s Kayla Long.

In girls doubles play, Rachel Roberts and Candace Hansen of Sprague-Harrington beat Reardan’s Frankie Webster and Katie Quam 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the title match.

Wilbur-Creston’s Ashley Warnecke and Kayla D’Arcy finished sixth.

1A/2B/1B boys: University Prep edged Charles Wright Academy 16-14 to win the team title at Yakima Tennis Center.

No local players advanced to the final day. Reardan and St. George’s scored two points apiece and tied for 15th.

3A: Kamiakin’s girls and the Newport (Bellevue) boys won team titles at Tri-Cities Court Club in Kennewick.

No local players advanced to the final day of play.