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--> --> Ashland senior Justine Bowen-Jones returns a high backhand during the first set of her 6-2, 6-4 loss to North Medford freshman Erin Chamberlain, Tuesday, in the No. 1 singles match at Hunter Park. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Lobs take center stage in Grizz loss By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Some players live by the lob, and some die by it. And some teams experience both in the same match. Two crucial lobs - one painting the line and one barely missing - went a long way toward determining a pair of singles matches Tuesday as the North Medford girls tennis team picked up its 46th straight dual-meet win, 7-2 over Ashland at Hunter Park. Ashland's No. 1 singles player, senior Justine Bowen-Jones, and No. 5 singles player, sophomore Camille Morris, each watched helplessly as lobs sailed over their heads on critical points. The difference: freshman Erin Chamberlain's shot over Bowen-Jones dropped in, while Valerie Iverson's shot over Morris just missed. Chamberlain finished off Bowen-Jones two points later, 6-2, 6-4, and Morris, who never trailed in the third set, also needed just two more points to clinch her 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory. "I actually got a good (approach) shot and there wasn't too much I could do about that," Bowen-Jones said of the fateful lob. "My volley didn't go where I wanted it to, but she definitely has an aggressive baseline game." Ashland's only other win came at No. 4 doubles, where sophomore Sarah Cate and senior Caitlin Johnson teamed up to edge Jennifer Pendergast and Heather Dumas 7-6 (2), 6-4. The Southern Oregon Conference win improved the defending Class 4A state champion Black Tornado to 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the SOC, while the Grizzlies fell to 1-1 and 1-1. Bowen-Jones struggled at the outset, netting every kind of unforced error while dropping five of the first six games. Chamberlain, meanwhile, was almost flawless, keeping Bowen-Jones on the defensive with a consistent and sometimes vicious forehand. The second set was a different story. With a strong game late in the first set boosting her confidence, Bowen-Jones became the aggressor in the second and held serve at love to seize a 3-2 lead. "I found my rhythm, which I didn't have in the first set at all," Bowen-Jones said. "And I started playing her backhand and trying to get as many short balls as possible to come in and put them away." With the set tied 4-all, Chamberlain, who will likely be the singles favorite at the conference meet, used a cross court forehand winner on Bowen-Jones' serve to go up 40-15. Bowen-Jones' unforced error one point later gave Chamberlain the game, and a 5-4 lead. Then came the lob. With the 10th game tied 15-all, Bowen-Jones rushed the net behind a deep middle-of-the-court shot to Chamberlain's backhand. Chamberlain, leaning on her back foot, sliced the ball just over Bowen-Jones' outstretched arms and into the right corner for a 30-15 lead. Bowen-Jones hit a forehand into the net followed by a service return error on match point to clinch it for Chamberlain. In the No. 5 singles match, Morris won three straight games, one at deuce and one at 40-30, to take a 4-1 lead in the third set. Morris' unforced error at deuce allowed Iverson to crawl within 4-2. Iverson then won the eighth game at 40-30 to get within 5-3. Lob time. Iverson led 30-15 when she attempted her looper. It easily cleared Morris, who attempted to run it down before calling it out after watching it bounce inches beyond the line. A forehand winner and a double fault on match point wrapped up the match. In another nip-and-tuck contest, North's Kelsey Thornton came back from a set down to beat sophomore Kendall Danielle, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 singles. At No. 1 doubles, North's Annie Chaney and Shannon Leever edged Jessica Baker and Ali Gardiner, 6-2, 7-5. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing