Cheney Girls tennis win one, lose one

CHENEY — Girls Tennis had a rough first outing of the season, falling to West Valley 5-2 at home on Tuesday, March 15. But the team turned things around two days later with an impressive 6-1 win at Shadle Park to level its record at 1-1.

Cheney vs. West Valley

The Blackhawks Adrianna Wood (1-6, 1-6), Paige Lacey (2-6, 7-6 / super-tiebreaker 7-10) and Valerie Hanes (6-1, 3-6 / super-tiebreaker 7-10) dropped their singles matches.

Fourth singles Annabelle Taylor took both sets of her match (7-6, 6-3). No. 1 Doubles Jenae Potter and Colleen McKinnon dominated both sets (6-1, 7-5), but the No. 2 Doubles Joy O’Dell and Chloe Clarkson dropped both of their sets (4-6, 2-6), as did the No. 3 Doubles Camilla Eriksen and Hayley Knudston (2-6, 2-6).

 “I thought we played very competitive matches as a team. Our No. 2 and No. 3 singles both went to a third-set tiebreaker, and by a matter of points, those matches could have gone either way,” Coach Linnea Love said. “Our No. 1 doubles Jenae Potter and Colleen McKinnon showed great strength in their leadership and experience with a very consistent and well-played win. 

“Freshman Annabelle Taylor, playing at No. 4 singles, played out a challenging first set 7-6 and secured the second set 6-3, securing her first varsity win with her first match for Cheney High School. She showed a strong mental game and a lot of promise for the rest of the season.” 

Cheney vs. Shadle Park

The Blackhawks dropped their No. 1 singles match (2-6, 3-6) but then reeled off six straight wins to run away with the match against the Highlanders.

Coach Love was pleased with the team’s ability to shake off the loss to West Valley.

“Jenae Potter and Colleen McKinnon continue to play confident and consistent doubles at No 1. They stand undefeated this season,” Love said. “Annabelle Taylor, our No. 4 singles, won for the second time this season with a close tiebreaker at the end of her match. Our No. 2 doubles (O’Dell and Clarkson) and No. 3 doubles (Eriksen and Knudston) showed great improvement from Tuesday’s match. 

“Our No. 2 singles (Paige Lacey) and No. 3 singles (Valerie Hanes) both secured their first wins of the season, facing challenging second sets but fighting through their matches to secure their wins.”

Cheney matched up with East Valley on Tuesday, March 22, but the results were not available at press time. The Blackhawks host Medical Lake at noon on Saturday, March 29.