Chiefs tennis sweeps Grizzlies

SUNNYSIDE - Moses Lake tennis came up big on the road at Sunnyside Tuesday as the boys and girls recorded shutout wins.

"It was kind of a bad news, good news situation for the boys this time out," coach Jon Wrigley said. "We really came out flat and started slow, but we ended up winning every single match including three three-set matches."

Drew Perez set the pace for the guys with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Scott Laverman at first singes. Second singles Tiernan Hall followed suit with a two set 6-1, 6-2 victory over Matthew Gallagher. Third and fourth singles Jace Hunt and Bryan Earl were challenged in their matches, but each pulled off three set wins. Hunt beat Michael Gallagher 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, and Earl turned back Alexis Osuna 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Three wins in doubles action made it a clean sweep for the boys team. First doubles Jordan Earl and Josh Hirz defeated David Lopez and Jacob Martin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, Connor Uhlinger and Tyler Ward got past Zach Halma and Nathan Laverman 7-6(4), 6-4 at second doubles, and third doubles Jesse Alvarado and Pedro Barreras turned back Felix Garcia and Isaiah Lyczewski 6-1, 7-6 (7).

"Bryan and Jace both self-assessed well and changed their approach, and Connor and Tyler have been moving up the tennis ladder and got a chance to play a good match. They were down in both sets and kept their composure to win in straight sets," Wrigley said. "We play at Davis next. They played us close in singles, so we'll need to make sure we come out strong and play to our strengths."

Girls

The Chiefs went to battle without top singles player Courtney Kunjara, but it didn't affect the outcome of the match against the Grizzles as the team blanked Sunnyside 7-0.

Stepping into the first singles slot was Carina LaFave who didn't miss a beat, downing her opponent in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Second singles Marki Koreis made it two in a row for the girls with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Elexis Lepe. At third singles it was Ece Yilmaz picking up a 6-2, 6-1 win over Cheyenne Schultz, and Julia Medel who played her first varsity match, turned back Angelica Ceja 6-2, 6-0 at fourth singles.

Turning in a strong performance at first doubles were Dorothy Catey and Sierra Gallaway who defeated Ashley Foster and Lydia Robert, 6-1, 6-3. Second doubles Liz Busherd and Ciara Schwab had little trouble in a two set 6-2, 6-2 win over Keri Haubrich and Mattie Meyers, and third doubles Sydney Francis and Micayla Friend were able to dispatch Jessica Garnica and Carla Rodriguez in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to complete the shutout.

"We were down our top girl, so it was nice to see some players get to play up," Wrigley said. "Sydney and Micayla are both freshmen and have earned the right to play a varsity match in league. They started a bit slow but played with more confidence as the match went on.  Carina continues her ascent as a singles player. She is not the same player she was before spring break.  We're at Davis Thursday who is undefeated and have three of the top players in the league. We look forward to the opportunity to play against the best our league has to offer."