Anchored by a pair of returning state participants, the Klahowya Secondary School girls tennis team believes it can soar to the top of the Olympic League this season.
The Lady Eagles are led by Tracy Landram and Maggie Becker, both of whom were top-five finishers in the 2009 Class 2A girls state tennis tournament. Landram, a sophomore, placed second. Becker, a senior, placed fourth.
Those performances lifted Klahowya to a share of the team title, and assistant coach Rick Ellis believes the duo can do it again, if not accomplish more.
“I can visualize them finishing one and two,” he said.
Ellis is filling in for head coach Bruce Pemberton, who will be sidelined until mid-April because of back surgery, and has juggled the lineup. He shifted Landram from No. 1 singles to No. 1 doubles and moved Becker from No. 2 singles to No. 1 singles.
The shake-up allows Landram to play doubles with friend and newcomer Lacey Newman, while giving Becker, the team captain, the top singles spot.
Having Landram in a doubles slot may force opponents to shift their lineup. It also nearly guarantees Klahowya will have at least one singles and one doubles victory each match.
Landram will move back to singles for the playoffs.
“The risk we take is, what happens if we run into a team that figures out not to hit the ball to Tracy?” Ellis said. “When it gets going tough, Tracy kind of takes over and puts them away.”
With three-time defending state champion Lindsey Newman of South Whidbey High School no longer in their way — she graduated — Landram and Becker are frontrunners to win individual state titles this season.
Last year Becker lost to Newman in the first round of the state tournament before rebounding to place fourth. Landram faced Newman in the finals, losing 7-6, 6-2.
But Ellis said the focus now is on the team winning a league championship.
The team is off to a 3-0 start, defeating Central Kitsap for the first time in school history last week.
Klahowya’s No. 2 doubles team is freshman Kelsey Dammeyer and senior Suzuka Takehara, while Zoe Anderson and Dominique Dozarth have seen action at singles.
“We’re making a point this season to put our best players on the court,” Ellis said. “There is a lot of competition.”
OLYMPIC
With their coach and No. 1 singles player both new to the program, the Lady Trojans hope to make an immediate impression on the Olympic League this season.
Olympic welcomes first-year coach Jeff Trainer, a longtime assistant to Olympic soccer coach Steve Haggerty, and senior Victoria Lagat, a foreign exchange student from South Korea.
Trainer is no stranger to tennis — in the past he has instructed private lessons — but this is his first head-coaching job at the high school level. He assumes a relatively inexperienced, 25-player roster.
“The players seem like they are pretty eager to learn,” Trainer said. “It’s been an easy transition for a new coach.”
The transition was made easier when Trainer learned of Lagat, who assumes the No. 1 singles position despite having never played for Olympic. She edged returning senior captain Serena Miller for the top position, though the team has a rankings ladder that can change any given day.
Juniors Jessica McMullen and Kristine Garcia are the No. 1 doubles team and played together last season.
“When they focus on the task at hand, they are pretty solid,” Trainer said. “If they focus they can be as good as they want.”
Varsity newcomers Keelana Noble and Savannah Quitevis could step in at No. 2 doubles, although they’ll have competition for the spot from seniors McKenzie Winter and Jennifer Balbas.
Trainer has a good idea of what the lineup will look like when league play begins, but he said nothing is permanent.
There was some shifting in the rotation before the year even started when Trainer learned Riza Suriben would not return for her senior season, instead focusing on academics and other activities. She advanced to the district tournament in 2009.
Despite that loss, Trainer is optimistic.
He said if the players are consistent with their groundstrokes, the team should be competitive once it’s at full strength. Some athletes have yet to log the required 10 practices.
“Hopefully we can do some damage and get to districts,” Trainer said. “More than anything, though, I want to make sure the season is enjoyable for the kids.”
