EHS tennis completes historic season

The Ellensburg High School girls’ tennis team completed a historic season on May 24 when it took home second place as a team at state, the best finish in program history.

It had been an exciting and ground-breaking season for both the boys’ and girls’ teams at EHS all year, and it all culminated in outstanding performances at the WIAA 2A State Tournament at the University of Washington. The girls finished with 13 points, led by a pair of singles and doubles teams.

“That second-place finish was the best Ellensburg tennis has ever done,” head coach Mark Morrill said after the tournament. “I think (the girls) represented Ellensburg High in a very fantastic way. I hope everyone’s proud of them, because they should be.”

Nadia Weiner was eliminated in singles play on the first day, but her teammates did more than enough to compensate. Katie Kelleher lost in the semifinals, but she took home third place with a win in the consolation finals, 6-3 and 6-2.

Mercedes Chandler and Amy Anderson dominated in doubles after losing in the first round. They advanced to the consolation finals, where they lost in three sets — 6-4, 6-7 and 7-6. They settled for sixth, but it was good enough to earn the girls their best finish ever.

The boys also had a great tournament, taking fifth as a team with eight points. Aaron Porter and Josiah Jackson went into the tournament as an undefeated doubles team, and they took third place, losing only to the eventual champions from WF West.

“The girls, what can you say?” Morrill said. “So much better than we had hoped. This year, three out of the four teams placed. A tremendous improvement by the kids.”