Cecilia Vu of Evergreen High School (White Center) led a procession of area players to the Class 2A girls state tennis tournament with her championship round achievements out of the West Central District tournament in closing action at the Bremerton Tennis Club on Saturday, May 18.
In the championship match, Vu was locked into a tense battle with LIezel Villanueva of Lindbergh in girls singles. The first set played out with neither player giving much ground until the action reached a 6-6 stand off. Brokered in a bristling battle, the Wolverine finally fell in a 7-4 tie-breaker. Action in the second set was just tenacious before Villanueva emerged with the No. 1 seed to state which will be held on May 24-25 at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the University of Washington Campus. Vu opens up against Calle Hanson of East Valley (Spokane).
Beginning with the round of eight, Vu stayed in control throughout her winners bracket matches.
Callie Peet of Port Angeles was the first to fall against Vu, 6-0, 6-2. Next came a 6-1, 6-3, mastery of Mattie Wilsie of Franklin Pierce. Then, Vu stroked past Melina Johnson of Olympic, 6-2, 6-0, in the semifinals that led to the championship clash.
Foster (Tukwila) advanced a pair of doubles teams to state with Yen Le and Esmeralda Bailon taking the No. 4 seed in a long, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory against Bulldog teammates Moa Arquiza and Eunica Serafica. Le and Bailon face Shayla Robinson and Brittani Harvey of Pullman on opening round action. Arquiza and Serafica start with Katie Schwabe and Becca McNurney of Kingston.
For Le and Bailon, the path began with a district 6-1, 6-3, loss against the pair of Anna Prorok and Hanna Gauthan from Sequim. The Bulldog duo followed up with a consolation round 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) tenacious victory against Melanie Guan and Karen Chan of Sequim. Savannah Williams and Chandler Williams of Tyee, 6-4, 6-3, in the consolation semifinals.
Arquiza and Serafica dropped a 6-1, 6-3, opener to Anna Prorok and Hanna Gauthan of Sequim to enter the consolation round. The Foster pair dropped Nicole Settlemier and Rachel Wilson of North Mason, 6-0, 6-1, plus Nicole hanks and Jazmine Ortiz of Washington, 5-7, 6-4, 10-7, on the way to facing their Bulldog teammates.
Williams and Chandler defeated Settlemier and Wilson, 6-1, 7-5,before fighting to three torrid sets against Maddie Roberts and Marijo Manaois of Washington. The Patriot tandem started strongly in a 6-1 first set win, but the Totem tandem fired back to earn a 6-3 second set triumph. Roberts and Manaois moved on to a 10-4 third set super tie-breaker win to drop Tyee into the consolation bracket. Williams and Williams fought another three-setter that they won, 4-6, 6-0, 10-3, versus Crista Megaway and Jenifer Pits of Steilacoom ahead of their loss to Le and Bailon. Williams and Williams defeated Emily Hanks and Jazmine Ortiz, 7-5, 6-2, to earn the alternate to state status.
