Huskies victorious on senior night
May 1—OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies boys (12-4) and girls (16-0) tennis teams secured victories on senior night. The Huskies boys secured a 3-2 victory and the girls won 4-1 to add onto their undefeated season and secure a league championship.
"I'm so proud of my girls," said Huskies Girls Coach Priscilla Tovar. "We've been talking from the beginning; the team goal was to be league champs again. I'm just so proud of them showing up every day."
First off the court for the girls was second doubles team Hazel Roylance and Alexa Peterson who earned a quick victory over their opponents. Another quick victory came in first singles from Olivia Harris who overcame her opponent 6-1, 6-1.
The tightest matchup on the girls side came in the first doubles spot where Othello's Shaylee Freeman and Faith Risenmay battled through a tough first set but followed up with a strong second set to earn a victory.
"We were kind of slow at first and then at the end we just pulled through," said Risenmay.
The Huskies duo said they had a lot on their minds going into this matchup on senior night as they were playing to keep up their personal undefeated streak, but with the victory they are sitting first in the Central Washington Athletic Conference for doubles. Despite the heat and the pressure, Freeman said both her and Risenmay were confident in their abilities.
Both Freeman and Risenmay have been doubles partners for their entire high school tennis careers. The two seniors said they are very proud of what they've accomplished this season.
"Just to finish off strong gives me so much pride," said Freeman. "Seeing how much we've put in and how much work, finally seeing the fruits of it, getting results and feeling like all of our hard work just paid off."
After having the match called early in second singles, the Huskies girls third doubles team of Amber Freeman and Cierra Giles closed out the afternoon with a final victory to put the Huskies 4-1 over Ellensburg.
The boys matches saw a swift victory for Othello in first doubles where Jace Ritchie and Ben Meredith won both their sets and were off the court early. The second and third doubles teams followed suit, each winning their sets 6-1 to secure the victory.
Max Harris and Armoni Zuniga battled hard for the Huskies against their opponents in first and second singles but unfortunately came short in both their matches.
The Huskies coaches said they were both proud of how hard the team played in Thursday's meet against tough opponents for the boys and girls.
Priscilla said the composure that the girls showed throughout Thursday's matches was a great attribute that will be important as the team heads into districts.
"There were times that we were down, and you wouldn't have even known it," she said. "I didn't see anyone hang their head and they all played pretty strong."
One aspect of the game that Huskies Boys Coach Caleb Tovar said he noticed affected all of Thursday's matches was hot weather that had not yet been a factor this season.
"The sun really affected a lot of the players out here on both sides," he said. "I think we're not really used to it in this area just yet, and it took a toll on a lot of our players."
As the Huskies look ahead, Caleb said he wants the players to make sure they are staying properly hydrated on the courts as the weather will continue to get hotter throughout May.
"We've got districts next week, so I think just preparing ourselves and being able to work in this heat and not overexert ourselves," said Caleb. "Make sure we're still able to perform at our highest level."
With Thursday being senior night, the efforts of the seniors for the Huskies tennis teams have been a staple for the season.
"I got emotional," said Priscilla. "These seniors mean so much to me and their parents; they're always going above and beyond. This is a special group."
The success that this year's senior class has had over the past seasons has contributed to the growth of tennis in Othello, said Caleb. This group has brought on not only more senior players but also has inspired a strong group of younger players.
"We had the biggest turnout this year with over 100 kids at the beginning of the season (and) our biggest senior group this year with 23 altogether between Varsity and JV," he said. "It's been a really big group and the seniors on varsity in particular, they've been working hard. I think they realize that this is their last year and you can see them leaving it all out on the court."
For seniors Risenmay and Freeman, celebrating senior night brought bittersweet feelings as they played in the final home meet of the season.
"It's really sad because this is our last year but we're really excited because we're making it to state," said Freeman.
The Huskies faced East Valley in their final regular season meet Saturday morning. Results of that meet will be made available in a later edition of the Columbia Basin Herald. Othello begins district tournament this week at the East Valley Elementary Tennis Courts, with the first meet taking place Thursday at 9 a.m.
Results
Boys
Grady Bayne (ELLN) def. Max Harris (OTHL), 1-6, 0-6
James Garcia (ELLN) def. Armoni Zuniga (OTHL), 5-7, 2-6
Jace Ritchie/Ben Meredith (OTHL) def. Sam Rausch/Boston Seamons (ELLN), 6-1, 6-1
George Arevalo/Isaac Roylance (OTHL) def. Colter Clasen/Ben Wenz (ELLN), 6-1, 6-1
Camilo Mendez/Crizz Duran (OTHL) def. Atlas Walker/Elliot Hammond (ELLN), 6-1, 6-1
Girls
Olivia Harris (OTHL) def. Hope Button (ELLN), 6-1, 6-1
Kate Redfearn (ELLN) def. Meila Zuidema (OTHL), 6-5 (retired)
Shaylee Freeman/Faith Risenmay (OTHL) def. Grace Lester/Mckenna Franklin (ELLN), 6-4, 6-4
Hazel Roylance/Alexa Peterson (OTHL) def. Annika Youngren/Krystin Van Komen (ELLN), 6-2, 6-0
Amber Freeman/Cierra Giles (OTHL) def. Sylvia Gruber/Marely Martinez Soltero (ELLN), 6-3, 6-4
