By Gerardo Bolong

AUBURN - John F. Kennedy girls tennis players just missed qualifying for state after May 24 play at the Class 3A WCD/SWW bi-district tournament at Auburn Mountainview High School.

In singles, Maddie Lu outlasted Mallory Woolf of North Thurston in three rugged sets. Lu lost the first set, 6-4, before coming back to earn a 6-2 second set win. The third set provided many dramatic and tense moments as the match up went to a 6-6 draw. Gaining the upper hand early, the Kennedy Catholic athlete won a 7-3 tie breaker to move on to her next match.

Allie Barry of Peninsula then defeated Lu, in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, putting the KC player into the first alternate to state position. The five state qualifiers in order of finish from the first to the fifth spot were Akari Baba (Peninsula), Angelina Polina (Ft. Vancouver), Misa Takami (Hazen), Lauren Skelly (Columbia River) and Barry.

Doubles play also brought Kennedy players within shouting range of a state seed. Avery Corcoran and Aine Dempsey-Horstman fell to the pair of A. Wilmington and A. Osler of Columbia River, 6-1, 6-1, to settle into the No. 3 alternate to state position.

The top five team qualifiers in order of finish were champions Ainsley Winterrowd and Sidney Smith (North Thurston), Ly and Cabrera (Lincoln), Mariah Bone and Kylee Almy (Enumclaw), Sierra Silva and Victoria Bolshakova (Auburn Mountainview) and Amila Gogalija and Milla Benedetti (Mountain View of Vancouver).