Document text
Tornado goes for tennis titles Photo by Drew Fleming Jenny Brown of North Medford is seeded No. 1 in girls singles. North girls, boys are the picks in district net tourneys By KRIS HENRY Step 1 in the path toward berths in the Class 4A boys and girls state tennis tournaments will be taken today, with the North Medford girls and boys each favored in the respective district events. The Southern Oregon Conference girls will compete at Hunter Park in Ashland today and Saturday, while the SOC boys will battle the same days in Roseburg. For the Black Tornado girls, a sound performance in the district tournament will be vital if they expect to contend for a state championship. A fourth-straight district title would also provide a nice coup for the team's seniors. "That would be nice to get for the seniors," says North girls coach Dale Jensen. "It will be sort of a feather in their cap to win four district titles in their four years." The Tornado is in prime position to do just that, with Jenny Brown seeded No. 1 in singles and the doubles team of Leslie Schultz and Annie Chaney seeded No. 2. Brown, a junior, will be in search of her third straight district singles title, while Schultz and Chaney each advanced to state in singles before teaming up for doubles this spring. Brown's toughest test may come in not looking too far ahead to the state tournament. She advanced to the state semifinals last year and the quarterfinals two years ago, both times losing to Lakeridge's Tara Livesay. "She doesn't feel too much pressure right now," says Jensen. "She's going into (the district tourney) nice and relaxed. I think the pressure for her will be more at the state tournament." With defending state champion Livesay still around, Brown and Beaverton's Ester Bak stand to fight for the No. 2 seed at state. Bak also lost in last year's semifinals, and the first priority for state seeding is previous state performance. "Jenny needs to finish nice and strong," says Jensen. "That should lock her up into one of those top two spots at state.'' Also earning seeds for North were Tabitha Grytness (No. 6, singles), Kendra Ira (No. 8, singles), April Louie and Shannon Leever (No. 4, doubles) and Andrea Pratt and Rebekah Murphy (No. 6, doubles). "The seeding went exactly like we expected, but the overall draw is not real good for the other kids," says Jensen. "They're going to have some tough matches." Roseburg and Ashland, who each possess a nice balance of seeded players and all-around athletes, should challenge North. Ashland's Justine Bowen-Jones is the No. 5 seed in singles, while the Grizz also has two seeded doubles teams in Jenny Spears and Jessica Baker (No. 3) and Amy Koskella and Ali Gardiner (No. 5). Stacey Wetmore of Roseburg is the No. 4 seed in singles, with Heather Bartlett seeded seventh. In doubles, the Indians hold the No. 1 seed in defending district champs Becky Correll and Elisa Tryon and the No. 7 seed in Lathena Weber and Ester Lee. "It's going to be a tight race," says Jensen. "I think we were the favorites at the start of the season, but the other teams in the district are coming on." The North boys will have to contend with particularly strong squads in Ashland and South Medford. "I think North has more experience in playing in tournaments," says Ashland coach Dick Streng. "They're strength in singles is way advantageous in a tournament like this." North boasts the No. 1 and 2 singles seeds in Andre Nilsson and Tyler Wilson, respectively. Ashland's Aaron Harris is the No. 3 seed and Klamath Union's Reid Arthur is No. 4. SOC District Tennis Seeds GIRLS SINGLES - 1, Jenny Brown, North Medford; 2, Kristina Bott, Klamath Union; 3, Megan Moon, Grants Pass; 4, Stacey Wetmore, Roseburg; 5, Justine Bowen-Jones, Ashland; 6, Tabitha Grytness, North Medford; 7, Heather Bartlett, Roseburg; 8, Kendra Ira, North Medford. DOUBLES - 1, Becky Correll-Elisa Tryon, Roseburg; 2, Leslie Schultz-Annie Chaney, North Medford; 3, Jenny Spears-Jessica Baker, Ashland; 4, April Louie-Shannon Leever, North Medford; 5, Amy Koskella-Ali Gardiner, Ashland; 6, Andrea Pratt-Rebekah Murphy, North Medford; 7, Lathena Weber-Ester Lee, Roseburg; 8, Tiffany Vogel-Keri Brooks, Grants Pass. BOYS DOUBLES - 1, Ari Zaslow-Lance Streng, Ashland; 2, Kevin Spears-Michael James, Ashland; 3, Andy Theen-Dave Mostue, North Medford; 4, Stewart Wetmore-Schricker, Roseburg; 5, Tom Cohen-Charlie Strickler, Grants Pass; 6, Jeremy Leever-Dru Phillips, North Medford; 7, Jacob Doty-Jake Morris, Ashland; 8, Rob Mayers-Tyler Coke, Ashland. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.