Cardinal duo headed to state tennis championships

SPOKANE – Two Medical Lake boys are headed to Yakima this week to play in the state tennis tournament.

Cardinals Tristan Francis and Isaac Barr will be among the state athletes competing in boys doubles for a state title Friday and Saturday at the Yakima Tennis Club.

Their state berths follow their performance May 20 and 21 following weather delays at the regional competition.

Coach Dawn Eliassen said the duo worked hard to earn the spot. They beat a St. George’s doubles team in the first match, but fell in the second match up Friday. Facing loser-out matches, they had to win twice Saturday.

“These two days of play were a serious emotional roller coaster for the coaches and I’m sure the players, too,” Eliassen said. “The plan was to win the two matches on Friday to guarantee a spot in the state tournament, but that didn’t happen with the loss to the second St. George’s team.”

On Saturday morning, the boys were back in the same “win two matches” to qualify position as they were Friday, the coach said.

“But now, elimination was on the line if we lost,” she added. “We had watched the Chewelah team play the day before. So, we had an idea what to expect. I feel like the Chewelah team looked fatigued Saturday morning and Tristan and Isaac played quite well.”

Francis and Barr came out strong Saturday May 21, and handled the Jenkins (Chewelah) team without much trouble, winning in two sets, 6-1, 6-4.

That meant they had to face the same Riverside team that had beaten them once before.

“This is the same Riverside team that beat us in the district finals last weekend,” Eliassen said. “Our boys came out on fire to start this match, playing some excellent tennis.

“The second set was a struggle because we kept giving the ball to the Riverside net player who would put it away easily for the point. We had multiple match point opportunities as we were ahead in the second set, and ahead in the tie-breaker, but couldn’t seem to get the job done.”

Eliassen said the local boys never gave up and took the match 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5.

“After a quick break between second and third sets, we came out still a little shaky, but stayed close for the first few games,” the coach said. “Then we found ourselves behind 3-5 and love-40 in the rain. We managed to hold on to that game, and the next to tie it at 5-5 before play was suspended due to slick courts.”

“Tristan and Isaac finished off the last handful of points to win the match and earn the 3rd berth to the state tournament,” she added. “Honestly, I’m still amazed the boys made the comeback in the third set and then found their focus and brought great intensity to the last couple of games after the move indoors. I’m so excited for them to experience everything that is state tennis this coming Friday and Saturday in Yakima. It’ll be something they’ll remember for years to come.”