Chambers leads Moses Lake tennis to second at districts

Lady Chief senior named 4A Player of the Year

WALLA WALLA — On the strength of star singles player Nikki Chambers' championship run, the Moses Lake Lady Chiefs tennis team earned a second-place finish at the district tournament that finished up Monday afternoon.

The Lady Chiefs compiled 24.5 points, 19.5 back of district champion Wenatchee and 4.5 in front of third-place Eisenhower. Chambers, who was named the 4A Player of the Year at Walla Walla, is the only Moses Lake player headed to regionals in Yakima this Friday and Saturday.

As the No. 1 overall seed in singles action, Chambers got a first-round bye. She then beat Richland's Lindsey Henderson (6-3, 6-0) and Wenatchee's Victoria Monreal (6-0, 6-0).

In Monday's semifinal match with Walla Walla's Krista Morasch, Chambers advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph. She finished off her championship run with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Richland's Janell Talbot.

In the doubles bracket, Moses Lake's Emily Fry and Martha Fry finished fifth, good enough for an alternate's spot at regionals. Both players were named to the 4A second team.

The duo opened with a 7-5, 6-2 win against Pasco, then advanced to semifinal play with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Eisenhower. There they met their match, falling to the eventual runners-up from Wenatchee. In consolation play on Monday, they lost 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 and won 6-2, 6-2, both against Eisenhower squads.

In other singles action, Charleen Johnson advanced to the quarterfinals by winning her first two matches. She opened with victories over Pasco's Michelle Petty (6-2, 7-5) and Walla Walla's Haley Schneidmiller (6-2, 6-3). Wenatchee's Natasha Wood rallied to beat Johnson in their quarterfinal hookup (3-6, 6-3, 6-0).

Johnson still had an opportunity to reach regionals Monday, but fell to Pasco's Kimberly Selph (6-2, 6-1).

Moses Lake's Megan Frederick began with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jessica Sachara of Davis, but was bounced out in a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Richland's Talbot. Moses Lake's Rhen Ashby lost two straight matches, falling to Davis's Zoe Kunkel-Patterson (2-6, 2-6) and to Pasco's Taryn Hilker (1-6, 3-6).

In other doubles action, Moses Lake's Becky Jones and Breanne Kernan started well, beating a Walla Walla squad 6-2, 6-0. But Jones and Kernan were eliminated in a 1-6, 0-6 setback to Wenatchee.

Chiefs Emily White and Rachel Goodrich fell 3-6, 2-6 in their first-round tussle with Davis, then were eliminated in a marathon three-set match with Walla Walla, losing a 10-7 super tiebreaker.

In boys' district action from Monday, Moses Lake's Tony Holiday and Ben Nye advanced to regionals. They knocked off Walla Walla's Matt McCauley and Tyler Smith (6-3, 6-1) to sew up the spot, though they lost their third/fourth place match to Richland's Elliott Martin and Chris Shallman in three sets.