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North's girls doubles team falls in finals By DAVID BALL for the Mail Tribune BEAVERTON - The North Medford doubles team of Shannon Leever and Annie Chaney knocked out one Jesuit duo but couldn't get past another during a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state tennis tournament Saturday. The Tornado tandem cruised through the first four rounds of play without losing a set before falling 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 against Jesuit's Monica Young and Allison Stoloff in the championship bout at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center. In the boys tournament at the same site, North Medford singles player Tyler Wilson was the lowest seed to make it to the semifinals, where he lost to No. 2 seed Charn Bak of Beaverton, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. In the girls doubles finale, Jesuit held a slim lead early in the match only to see North Medford move ahead 5-4 and threaten to steal the first set. Leever highlighted the comeback after getting involved in a rapid-fire volley at the net. She ended the longest point of the match by popping a lob over the top of both Jesuit players. Young retreated to the baseline, but her off-balance return went into the net. North Medford kept up the pressure, moving to a 6-5 lead and within one game of claiming the set. Chaney finished the 11th game with a forehand blast directly at Stoloff, who turned the other direction to protect herself. The ball banged off the handle of her racquet and fell to the court. The Jesuit duo held serve to force a tiebreaker, which was knotted 5-5 before the Crusaders claimed the last two points. They won the set on a double-fault by the Tornado. "It was pretty intense," Leever said. "We wanted it really bad. It was a big letdown for us." North Medford struggled to recover, as Jesuit raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set. The Tornado broke through in the sixth game when Stoloff hit a ball into the net, but Jesuit ended the match a few minutes later. North Medford fought off one match point before Jesuit took advantage of its next opportunity, winning one of the most entertaining points of the day. The teams traded more than 20 shots back and forth. North Medford stayed alive when Chaney raced to the baseline and hit a forehand over Leever, who ducked down in the middle of the court. But Jesuit ended the point when Young worked her way to the net and split the North Medford pair with an overhead smash. Leever and Chaney, the No. 2 seed, settled for the runner-up spot on the awards stand. "It's a letdown not to win the whole thing, but it's still a big accomplishment to be second," Leever said. The pair dominated action early in the tournament, dropping just five games in their first three matches. Leever and Chaney kept rolling in the semifinals Saturday morning, cruising past Jesuit's Preston Neupert and Young Nelson, 6-2, 6-4. Carrying a slim lead throughout the second set, the Tornado took control of the match with a quick win in the pivotal eighth game for a 5-3 edge. Leever started strong, firing an ace through the side of the court, then popping another serve over the net that clicked off Nelson's racquet and out of play. Leever's third serve was met with a weak return that floated high, giving Chaney an easy overhead put-away. Jesuit put its next return into the net, giving North Medford the game in little more than a minute. "We work well together to cover the court and put balls away," Leever said. "We just had fun and kept ourselves pumped up." The Tornado tandem closed out the semifinal two games later when Chaney blasted a hard serve that Nelson couldn't handle, lofting her return six inches too far. "We knew their weaknesses," Chaney said. "I knew if I could get the serve in close to her body, she wouldn't be able to get around it for a good return." North Medford teammates April Louie and McKenzie Hilmer won a pair of consolation matches before falling 8-5 against South Eugene's Lauren Meyer and Ann Koreisha in the semifinals Saturday morning. Jesuit won the team title with 16 points, while the Tornado finished in a three-way tie for fourth with nine points. In the boys tourney, Wilson, the No. 6 seed, pulled off a 6-4, 6-3 upset against No. 3 Colby Jager of Corvallis in the quarterfinals Friday. He then put a scare into Bak Saturday morning, leading throughout the first set and taking a commanding 5-2 lead when Bak raced to the sideline to retrieve a backhand. That left the entire right side of the court open for Wilson, who slammed a forehand winner into the empty space. He closed out the stanza in the next game with a double-fisted backhand that sent Bak scrambling. The Beaverton junior made contact, but his off-balance return sailed a couple feet wide of the court. "We were both playing tentative in that first set," Wilson said. "I think we were both nervous, and we made a lot of errors. Even though I won that set, I feel like I played better later in the match." Deadlocked 4-4 in the second set, Wilson took the lead with a win in the pivotal ninth game. He took control of the game with a short drop shot at the net to move in front 30-15. He broke Bak's serve two points later, prompting the frustrated Beaverton player to throw his racquet down. Bak didn't keep his head down long, however, rallying to win the last three games and even the match at a set apiece. He finished the comeback by winning four of six points in the last game. "I kept breaking him, but he was doing the same thing to me," Wilson said. "It was kind of tough having to regroup for the third set." Bak carried the momentum into the third and deciding set, winning five straight games to close out the match, 6-1. Wilson fought off one match point before Bak claimed the win with a solid serve that glanced off the edge of Wilson's racquet and into the net. Wilson, a sophomore, was the youngest player to reach the semifinals. He dropped just 10 games in his first three matches of the tournament. Ashland's Ari Zaslow won his first three consolation bouts by a combined score of 24-4, including an 8-0 semifinal win against Marcus Phanthongphay of Parkrose in the semifinals. Zaslow finished the day with a 6-3, 7-5 loss in the consolation final against Wilson's Erik Pickard. Westview won the team title with 20 points, crowning champions in both the singles and doubles bracket. North Medford finished seventh with seven points. SOC Results BOYS Team Scores Westview 20, Lincoln 16, Jesuit 10, Beaverton 8, McKay 8, Sheldon 8, North Medford 7, Ashland 6, Churchill 6, Southridge 6. Others - Roseburg 4, Klamath Union 0. Singles SEMIFINALS - Charn Bak, Beaverton, d. Tyler Wilson, North Medford, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. CONSOLATION - Eric Pickard, Wilson, d. John Falath, North Medford, 8-6; Ari Zaslow, Ashland, d. Marcus Phanthongphay, Parkrose, 8-0; Eric Pickard, Wilson, d. Ari Zaslow, Ashland, 6-3, 7-5. GIRLS Team Scores Jesuit 16, Cleveland 12, Churchill 10, Lakeridge 9, North Medford 9, South Eugene 9, Wilson 8, Lake Oswego 8, Reynolds 6. Others - Roseburg 4, Ashland 2, Grants Pass 0. Doubles SEMIFINALS - Annie Chaney-Shannon Leever, North Medford, d. Preston Neupert-Young Nelson, 6-2, 6-4. FINALS - Monica Young-Allison Stoloff, Jesuit, d. Annie Chaney-Shannon Leever, 7-5 (5), 6-1. CONSOLATION - Lauren Meyer-Ann Koreisha, South Eugene, d. April Louie-McKenzie Hilmer, North Medford, 8-5. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.