Document text
2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships Ashland downtown beautification project underway on Lithia Way Memorial Day rites set for Monday Grizzly earns prestigious UO academic scholarship Police Reports Education Grizzly earns prestigious UO academic scholarship The battle for the Earth Bowl Principal Zundel looks to next challenge Youth Activities and Academics Levy rolls in early returns It takes a village to raise a child Environment Demonstrators hope to save tree Documentary 'When Giants Fall' tells tragic story of elephant poaching Mt. Ashland Ski Area proposes summer adventure center Long drought, big storm make for a dirty Bear Creek Jackson County declares drought disaster Business The Beanery coffeehouse closes abruptly Makeover brings new look to old clinic Cars We Remember: 1955 and 1956 Plymouth memories Ashland's CD Or Not CD will carry on Sawyer Paddles sues manufacturer, alleging breach of contract Politics and elections Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships Welcome Center plans can proceed Ashland council to consider water rate surcharge, Welcome Center agreement Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability State News Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Nation - World Uh oh .... Apple Watch demand is weak Obituaries Walter Schweiger Dawn Borns/Hagler/Huttl Marazban J. Bhesania (Merzy) Death Notices Fredric Martin Latty Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories Ashland doubles team, singles player roll into 5A championship matches Kelly McElroy: Always follow your heart, as a sports fan O'Brien keeps four-peat hopes alive at state Former Oregon Tech great Carlson named SOU's next women's basketball coach SOU's sweet 16 heads to nationals High school Ashland doubles team, singles player roll into 5A championship matches O'Brien keeps four-peat hopes alive at state Grizzlies push defending 6A champs but fall in extras O'Brien goes for rare four-peat AHS decathlete Thompson-Siporen overcomes knee surgery to shine at districts Southern Oregon University Ashland doubles team, singles player roll into 5A championship matches O'Brien keeps four-peat hopes alive at state Former Oregon Tech great Carlson named SOU's next women's basketball coach SOU's sweet 16 heads to nationals O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Voices Latest Stories GOP's war on the poor Matthew T. Mangino: Is Nebraska a death penalty game-changer? Our View: Common sense prevails Jeffrey Gillespie: The Bernie Sanders factor Arthur I. Cyr: Secretary Kerry’s reply to North Korea Editorial Our View: Common sense prevails Our View: Bravo, Ashland voters Our View: AHS loses a leader Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Our View: Focus on the basics Letters Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 19 Letters to the Editor, May 14 (No heading) Letters to the editor: Tuesday, May 12 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: A day in the life of ScienceWorks Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Columns GOP's war on the poor Jeffrey Gillespie: The Bernie Sanders factor Arthur I. Cyr: Secretary Kerry’s reply to North Korea Council Corner: Citizens on the move Guest Opinion: A day in the life of ScienceWorks Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Movie listings: May 22-28 5 things to do in the Rogue Valley Sly & Robbie play Historic Ashland Armory SOU presents Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale' 'Mad Max: Fury Road' brings the crazy like no other Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability SOU presents Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale' Ticket Availability Ashland-originated plays to tour throughout country Music The Farr Side: Swift dominates Billboard Music Awards Interview: Country mainstay T. Graham Brown reflects on career The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road Visual Art Movies Interview: ‘Good Kill’ offers blistering look at ‘battlefields and blackjack’ of drone warfare Review: ‘Tomorrowland’ feels like another Disneyland staple — Dopey Movie review: Disney takes us to ‘Tomorrowland’ Ashland Independent Film Fest searching for new director Dwayne Johnson rocks in a new way in ‘San Andreas’ Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Pop-up art shows growing in popularity Looking Up: Spica stands out in spring’s sky Health Watch: How to avoid the diet rut Homeowner’s insurance: What it covers, what it excludes They key to lifelong marital happiness Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW GOP's war on the poor ... Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships ... Memorial Day rites set for Monday ... GOP's war on the poor ... Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships ... Memorial Day rites set for Monday ... PREP TENNIS O'Brien goes for rare four-peat Senior has new doubles partner in Kim, but same expectations heading into state meet Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 19, 2015 at 9:49 AM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 19, 2015 at 9:49 AM » Social News Midway through the 2012 tennis season, Vika O’Brien, then a wide-eyed freshman, teamed up with a sophomore named Hannah Greenberg to form what would become the most dominant doubles team in the state, a juggernaut combo that ended up claiming the next three Class 5A state championships for Ashland. Those hoping that Greenberg’s graduation last June would finally open the door for the rest of Oregon’s 5A doubles hopefuls may have been disappointed to see the recently released 2015 state tennis brackets, because sitting at the top of the 16-team 5A doubles field and stamped with the No. 1 seed once again was — surprise, surprise — O’Brien. The boys and girls state tennis tournament will be held Thursday through Saturday at the West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club in Portland and the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton. O’Brien’s a senior now and enters her final high school tournament with a new doubles partner, fellow senior and longtime friend Anne Kim, but O’Brien’s expectations remain the same: she wants to win it all, of course, and walk off into the prep tennis sunset in mic-drop fashion, proud owner of an unbeatable, trophy-hogging four-peat. “That’d be amazing,” said O’Brien, who will continue playing tennis next year at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. “It’s never happened at Ashland High School, so it’s great to start something new. So that makes it a great accomplishment and a great goal to strive for.” Ashland isn’t the only place it’s never happened. While there have been several four-peat girls singles champions, most recently Jesuit’s Erin Larner’s 6A run 2011-14, only one girls doubles player has captured four state championship trophies since the OSAA began handing them out in 1946 — Rebecca Berger of Hermiston, who won two alongside partner Rachel Berger in 2004 and 2005 and two more with partner Richole Berger in 2006 and 2007. For the most part, O’Brien and Greenberg steamrolled through the state tournament every year they played together. Their most competitive match was a 6-3, 7-5 quarterfinal victory in 2012, they were never pushed to three sets and last year they won 48 of a combined 51 games at state. Neither O’Brien nor Kim expects to cruise through the tournament quite so easily this year, and Kim admits that the pressure of playing for a piece of girls tennis history is a challenge in itself. “It’s definitely really stressful,” she said. “It’s a lot of pressure on me to play really well, especially this year because there’s another doubles team that’s really good with players that we’ve played in USTA tournaments.” That team is the No. 2-seeded tandem of Sierra Winch and Jesse Vezo of Bend. O’Brien and Kim wouldn’t have to face Winch and Vezo until the championship match Saturday. Before that, Ashland’s top doubles team, which won the Midwestern League district title last week, may have to beat the No. 3-seeded team, Lia VanSteeter and Anjali Chikkalingaiah of Crescent Valley. After playing with the same partner for so long, O’Brien said that adjusting to a new partner and Kim’s playing style, which differs greatly from Greenberg’s, took some time. They suffered a nonconference loss to Grants Pass as part of those growing pains, but have been perfect otherwise and head to state with a 14-1 record. O’Brien’s solid baseline game and strong serve proved to be the perfect match for Greenberg’s volley prowess, but Kim’s ability to keep rallies going from the baseline has changed the dynamic of Ashland’s No. 1 doubles team. “She usually stays back unless there’s a short ball and she has to run up,” O’Brien said of Kim. “Sometimes she comes up, but not very often. And she’s definitely more laid back than me, but having known her for so long we can have fun on the court together. We bring each other up and cheer each other on, and we both really get into it.” Kim agreed, and added that she would love to help O’Brien make a little state tennis history this week. “It would be really amazing to be a part of that and it puts even more pressure on me,” she said, “but I’m pretty confident I’ll do well. I really want to win the title, but not for myself — for Vika. I’m not really a competitive person but I’m competitive for her. I want her to have the title.” Also representing Ashland at state this week will be girls singles player Ashley Knecht, who landed the No. 3 seed, boys singles player Mischa Kirby and two boys doubles teams — David Lee and Kai Weston, and freshmen Rox Rogers and Nur Shelton. Knecht is on the same side of the bracket as second-seeded Tessa Kern, a freshman from Corvallis. Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 19, 2015 at 9:49 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Outlook for Patriots' Stars May. 22, 2015 at 6:05 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Eagles Stars May. 18, 2015 at 12:35 am Early Fantasy Football Rankings May. 17, 2015 at 4:22 am Fantasy Football Stars Likely to Disappoint May. 15, 2015 at 2:02 am Breaking Down Top 25 Fantasy QBs May. 13, 2015 at 7:00 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Falcons Stars May. 11, 2015 at 8:02 am Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501