It appears the Cascade tennis team will play 2017 season without home courts. Despite the disadvantage, the team is playing better. Last Saturday, the team played Connell at Cashmere.
The boys lost 3-2. Number one singles, Finn Johnson, won 6-4, 6-2. The number two doubles team of Emman Espinosa and Wyatt Whaley won 6-7, 7-6 (7-5), (7-5.)
“The match of the day on the boys side was the number 2 doubles match that went into a tie breaker in both sets and ended with Cascade winning the third set which was a seven point tie breaker 7-5. Emman Espinosa and Wyatt Whaley only got better as the match went on,” said Head Coach Joey Johanson. “They played a great match and they were very aggressive at the net. Espinosa had a forehand that couldn’t be touched. It was the last match of the day and a great one to end on.”
Johanson also praised the play of his number one singles player.
“Finn Johnson took care of business. He battled back and forth in the first set and ended up winning 6-4. After the first set, he felt like he had his opponent figured out and breezed through the second set 6-2,” Johanson said.
At the beginning of the year, Johanson said their goal was to get better everyday.
“Even without consistent practice time on courts, the boys have shown they are getting better. I’m very optimistic that a couple of our boys will be playing late into the season. Matches like these show me that the future is bright for Cascade boy’s tennis,” Johanson said.
The Cascade girls won over Connell 4-1. Number one singles, Taylor Kelly, rolled 6-0, 6-0. Number two singles, Alexandra Barragan, won 7-5, 4-6 (7-3). Number one doubles, Katie Schiefelbein and Brooke McDevitt won 6-1, 6-1. Number two doubles, Dororthy Espinosa and Carmen Herrera won 6-1, 6-2.
“The match of the day on the girl’s side was the number 1 doubles team of Schiefelbein and McDevitt. When we played down in Connell a couple of weeks ago they struggled a bit against the same girls. Today was a different story,” Johanson said. “Katie and Brooke dominated from the first serve. They need to continue to get better at volleys, but it seemed like they didn’t hit a bad groundstroke all game.”
Johanson was also impressed with the play of his two singles players.
“Taylor Kelly continues to take care of business and rolled 6-0, 6-0. With more and more practice and signs of growth I am anticipating a very good rematch for Taylor Kelly and Paiton Wagner of Cashmere,” Johanson said. “Alexandra Barragan continues to be the iron-woman. It seems like all her matches go into three sets, but she ends up winning them. She is a fun athlete to coach and works her tail off in practice to get better.”
Johanson said the team played Connell a couple weeks ago and struggled in some matches.
“Today we proved that we are getting better and not just a little, by leaps and bounds. I understand that tennis is usually a student-athletes secondary sport, but the commitment and hard work these girl’s are putting in shows they really care about their personal growth and the success of the program as a whole,” Johanson said.
On April 11, the boys and girls played at Cashmere against Cashmere. Both the boys and girls lost 5-0 against the Bulldogs.
On April 18, Cascade played at Omak. Results were not available before press time. On Saturday, the team is to host Chelan. Next Tuesday, they play at Okanogan.
Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here