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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 14, 2005 North Medford�s McKenzie Hilmer, left, hits a return as playing partner Lauren Wilson looks on during their doubles match on Friday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Tornado sweeps up SOC title Hilmer-Wilson tandem scores second straight doubles crown By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune McKenzie Hilmer and Lauren Wilson had little trouble seizing their opportunities Friday at the Southern Oregon Conference girls tennis district at Varsity Courts. Now it’s just a matter of keeping that mind set for another week as they vie for a prize they believe slipped through their fingers last season. Displaying plenty of power and precision, the North Medford girls doubles team cruised to their second straight district title and appeared on top of their game heading into the Class 4A state tournament, set May 19-21 at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton. The top four placers in singles and doubles advance to state. "We played really good today," said Wilson, a junior. "It was a lot of fun." Hilmer and Wilson stumbled a bit out of the gate in their semifinal against freshman teammates Alex Jenner and Sarah Louie, dropping their first games of the tourney before regrouping for a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Advertisement In the finals against Roseburg’s Galaxy Slight and Michelle Davis, the Hilmer-Wilson combo was almost flawless in earning a 6-1, 6-0 triumph. Buoyed by their play and the play of North’s other state-qualifying doubles teams of Sonia Aguilera and Erica Schultz and Jenner and Louie, the Black Tornado scored its first district title in three years. North, which had won six straight SOC titles prior to third-place finishes the past two years, tallied 35 points to deny Ashland (32) its third straight title. Roseburg and South Medford tied for third with 20 points apiece, followed by Klamath Union (19) and Grants Pass (14). Ashland’s Kayla Moyse breezed to the singles title with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Roseburg’s Masha Los, with fellow Grizzly Brianna Lescher taking third over South Medford’s Sam Ruffe. But the story of the tournament was North’s ability to advance three doubles teams to state for the first time in what Dale Jensen dubbed "a long, long time." "It’s especially impressive with this district being so strong," said Jensen, whose teams have placed fifth, second, fourth and first, respectively, in the past four state tournaments. "We only have 13 weeks in the season and it takes a long time to put together a doubles team. They’ve all worked hard to get where they are." None more so than Hilmer and Wilson, who have shown they are anything but satisfied with last year’s state runner-up finish to Hermiston sisters Rachel and Rebecca Berger. "They really want a title," Jensen said of his top doubles team, which was seeded No. 1 at state last year. "They weren’t all that pleased with their performance last year and have really worked hard to get better. Their game was already very good, but they realized they ultimately had to take it to the next level in order to reach their goal." The 17-year-olds got a taste of what it will take to walk away No. 1 last month in Bend when they fell short in a tournament match to Lake Oswego’s top doubles team. Realizing that they needed to elevate their net game to compete with the top teams at state, Hilmer and Wilson have dedicated themselves to that task in recent weeks and showed excellent hands and instincts at the net Friday. "We’re putting away a lot more people this way," said Hilmer, a senior in her third year of pairing with good friend Wilson. "We’re just playing smarter and doing a better job of getting to the net." Both solid players in their own right, Hilmer and Wilson have developed a tremendous chemistry over the years and have worked hard to become more complete tennis players. "They complement each other so well," said Jensen. "McKenzie has laser-like shots. Her balls are just so close to the net with so much pace, and Lauren has such great volleys. But this year, they both have started to improve in other areas. Lauren’s groundstrokes are better and McKenzie’s volleys have gotten better, too." All that bodes well for a North Medford program that has placed a doubles team in the state championship final in each of the past four seasons. The Black Tornado won the state doubles title in 2001 with Leslie Schultz and Annie Chaney and in 2003 when Chaney teamed with Shannon Leever. While that streak would appear to favor Hilmer and Wilson’s chances at coming back to Medford with a state championship next week, they’re not feeling an overbearing pressure to perform. "There’s not really any extra pressure on us," said Wilson. "We definitely want to go out and do our best and hopefully win state, but we’re not so much worried about that (streak). We’re just focusing on our game." That’s just as well for Jensen, who said this year’s grouping of state qualifiers are as talented as he’s seen in his 25 years at North. "There’s going to be really tough competition (at state)," said Jensen. "I think this is going to be one of the deepest states in terms of doubles we’ve ever had. Once you get to the quarters, there won’t be an easy match." But at least there will be more friendly faces. "We’re so excited that we have two other teams going with us," Hilmer said of North’s doubles contingent for state. "It’s a lot more fun when there’s more people there. Hopefully we can all score some points and come back with a trophy." The same goes for Moyse, who has had the misfortune of bad draws in her past two state tourneys but is hoping for better placement this time around. Last year, Moyse lost in the second round to eventual champion Momei Qu of Wilson. In 2003, she had the same misfortune as she lost in the second round to eventual champion Emily Kirchem of Reynolds. "Hopefully I’ll get a better draw this year," said Moyse, who remained undefeated with two relatively easy wins Friday. "I’m playing a lot better and I’m still working on my game, so hopefully that will help, too." The junior dropped only three games overall in the district — two in the finals to the ever-hustling Los. Part of Moyse’s strategy was to keep Los on the run, however, since the Roseburg senior had already been stretched to the limit by Ashland’s Brianna Lescher in their three-set semifinal. "That could’ve helped me out a little bit," said Moyse. "(Los) has to be pretty tired because she’s been playing a lot today." TEAM SCORES — North Medford 35, Ashland 32, Roseburg 20, South Medford 20, Klamath Union 19, Grants Pass 14. SINGLES SEMIFINALS — Kayla Moyse, A, d. Sam Ruffe, SM, 6-0, 6-1; Masha Los, R, d. Brianna Lescher, A, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS — Kayla Moyse, A, d. Masha Los, R, 6-1, 6-1. THIRD-FOURTH FINALS — Brianna Lescher, A, d. Sam Ruffe, SM, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. CONSOLATION FINALS — Alysia Yamasaki, KU, d. Carly Cox, KU, 6-2, 6-0. DOUBLES SEMIFINALS — McKenzie Hilmer-Lauren Wilson, NM, d. Alex Jenner-Sarah Louie, NM, 6-3, 6-0; Galaxy Slight-Michelle Davis, R, d. Sonia Aguilera- Erica Schultz, NM, 6-3, 6-3. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS — McKenzie Hilmer-Lauren Wilson, NM, d. Galaxy Slight-Michelle Davis, R, 6-1, 6-0. THIRD-FOURTH FINALS — Sonia Aguilera-Erica Schultz, NM, d. Alex Jenner-Sarah Louie, NM, 6-0, 6-2. CONSOLATION FINALS — Nikita Wright-Sarah Ashpole, SM, d. Aly Wilson-Alina Rubadue, SM, 6-4, 6-2. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s