STRONG SINGLES PLAYER. Kiana Kobayashi has earned the second seed position during spring workouts. She helped Ballard defeat 3A defending state champion Bellevue last month.
A roster full of depth and talent is resulting in more wins for the Ballard Beavers girls tennis team this spring and one of those victories came against defending state 3A champion Bellevue last month.
Ballard dominated the Wolverlines in a 6-3 non-league win. The Beavers then went on to beat Interlake and then Eastside.
"The team is balanced and deep, with strong play from the number one through number six singles. And the doubles play is improving each week," said new Head Coach Aaron Silverberg.
The Beaver lineup is full of veteran players, nine of them seniors. They include in order from one through six: Neah Ortman; Kiana Kobayashi; Mikaela Louie; Lucie Goodwin; Natasha Keller; and Hana Schooley.
"They have been playing decent the last couple of years, this year they are gelling," said Silverberg.
Julia Canty and Lucy Miner are the number one doubles team. Schooley and Flora Anderson are nummber two, with Zoe Cross-Karas and Vicky Long or Kelly Robbins number three.
Against Bellevue, Ortman, Kobayashi, Louie, Goodwin and Schooley all won their singles matches. The combination of Schooley and Flora Anderson won their doubles match.
Ballard dropped one to Lake Washington 6-3 with Kobayashi and Keller winning in singles. Cross-Karas and Anderson won in doubles.
"The Ballard High School girls are off to a very strong start," said Silverberg.
Garfield then found the Beavers too much to handle in a 6-3 loss. Ortman, Louie, Goodwin, Keller and Canty piled up points in their wins. Long and Robbins teamed up for a doubles win.
Silverberg has been a tennis professional since 1982. He was a number one singles and doubles player at the University of California Santa Clara and was a head professional at a club in Chicago.
Dean Wong can be reached at 206-783-1244 or via email at deanw@robinsonnews.com