Winners advance to district tournament for state play-in round
by Coach Rothlisberger – Russ Gatzemeier photos
Thursday, all of the CTL teams met at Harmony Meadows for Day 1 of the CTL Tournament (Chelan, Cashmere, Cascade, Omak, Okanogan). This tournament is a qualifier for the District 6 Tournament next week, which is the qualifier for the state tournament. The top 4 finishers in each bracket (girls singles, girls doubles, boys singles, boys doubles) will move on to the district tournament. Some athletes were seeded and received a first round bye, while others faced an important first round match that was loser out.
We had a great showing today. Half of our entrants went undefeated on the day and earned berths into the semifinals on Saturday morning!
In girls singles, junior Emma McLaren is the #1 seed in the tournament, and faced Sophie Graybill of Cashmere after receiving a bye. McLaren handled Graybill 6-1, 6-0, and will be in the semifinals on Saturday morning.
Also in girls singles, senior Katelyn Deal opened up against Lupita Moriel of Omak. Katelyn’s 2nd set comeback fell short 1-6, 4-6, but she played outstanding tennis in her final set of the season. Katelyn has been a vital component of our varsity the past two seasons, and will be missed next year.
In girls doubles, sisters Sierra and Elle Rothlisberger are the #2 seed in the doubles bracket, and had a first round bye. In match #2, they faced Neu/Sites of Cashmere, coming away with a 6-4, 6-0 victory to enter the semifinals on Saturday.
The doubles team of senior Abby Martin and sophomore Bella Gatzemeier are seeded #4, but had an opening round matchup against Christensen/Martin of Cashmere which they won easily. Abby and Bella’s 2nd match of the day was not nearly as easy, facing the talented #5 seed Wyllson/Perez from Okanogan. However, the Chelan tandem played some of their best tennis of the season, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
The Chelan frosh doubles team of Ally Williams and Ruby Wier faced #5 seed Wyllson/Perez of Okanogan in the opening round. Chelan’s rookie duo were defeated by the veteran Okanogan team, but have made huge strides this season, and have many years of great tennis in front of them.
In boys singles, senior Wyatt Habich is the #1 seed in his bracket, and had a first round bye on Thursday. In round #2, Habich held off Dylan Hinger of Okanogan to reserve his spot in the semifinals on Saturday.
Also in boys singles, junior Tobin Wier is the #3 seed, and also had a first round bye. In round two, Wier quickly topped Josh Pederson of Cascade to punch his ticket into the semifinals.
Senior Tyler Higgins also played singles today, and faced Brendyn Hinger of Okanogan in the opening round. Tyler had a solid opening set, winning handily 6-1. However, Hinger steadied his game and played consistent tennis the next two sets, squeezing by Higgins 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Tyler had a great senior season, and outstanding tennis career for the Goats!
In boys doubles, juniors Steven Williams and Eli Phelps entered as the #5 seed, and faced Priebe/Holton of Cascade in the opening round. Steve and Eli fended off Cascade in straight sets, which earned them a spot in the double-elimination portion of the tournament. In their 2nd match of the day, Phelps and Williams fell to #4 seed McCune/Law of Omak. William and Phelps will need to fight through the consolation half of the bracket on Saturday to earn a district tourney berth.
Also in boys dubs, sophomore Aiden Peterson and freshman Nate Harding battled Hurlbert/Stenberg of Omak in the opening round, but came up just short in a see-saw three set battle. Harding and Peterson will return next year to help anchor a talented Goat squad that is only losing two senior boys.
The CTL tournament wraps up on Saturday at Harmony Meadows with matches beginning at 10am. All of our entrants in the semifinals (McLaren, Habich, Wier, Rothlisbergers, Martin Gatzemeier) can clinch a district tournament berth with a win. A loss in the semifinals would require one additional win in the consolation bracket to earn 3rd or 4th and a district tourney berth.
