Despite a loss to end the regular season, Mountlake Terrace Hawk senior Tina Liu is ready to get the postseason underway and ultimately get back to the WIAA State Tennis Championships.
“I just really want to make it to state for the last time, my senior year,” Liu said.
Liu and her Hawk teammates begin postseason tournament play on Tuesday, May 10, at Glacier Peak High School in the two-day Wesco League Divisional Tournament.
Terrace closed out their 2016 regular season winless in 16 matches after dropping their finale Tuesday 7-0 to the Shorewood T-Birds.
Liu, the Hawks’ no. 1-singles’ player, completed the regular season with a 12-3 individual record. Her three defeats were to the Wesco League’s top singles’ players, Marysville-Getchell’s Marina Ciferri and Shorewood’s Sasha Gaeth; Liu lost her second match to Gaeth this year on Tuesday 6-0, 6-1 at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Liu, Ciferri and Gaeth are expected to battle for the Wesco League singles’ title, with some looking to Gaeth as the favorite. The Shorewood freshman went 15-0 in singles’ matches this season without losing a set.
“She’s really aggressive with her shots,” Liu said of Gaeth. “She just goes for it; she doesn’t hold back.”
It’s conceivable that Liu could face the undefeated Gaeth sometime in the postseason, a prospect that Liu would actually welcome. “I’m always up for it — it couldn’t hurt,” Liu said with a smile.
Liu doesn’t plan to change her style of play for next week’s divisional tourney nor the district tournament the following week, even if she draws Gaeth or Ciferri in a tourney bracket.
“I’m just going to play my game,” she emphasized. “I’ve just got to do what I have learned my whole life’ just play, just hit.”
Liu has competed at the state championships every year of her high school career, but has done so each time as half of a doubles’ team. This year the senior will be attempting to qualify for state as a singles’ competitor.
The WIAA State Tennis Championships will take place May 27-28 in Kennewick.
In other Terrace sports action on Tuesday, the Hawks’ softball team crushed Shorecrest 15-0, the baseball team ended their 2016 season with an 8-3 loss to Meadowdale, the girls’ golf squad failed to post a qualifying team score in their match against Shorecrest, and the Hawk freshman track teams competed in the Wesco League Frosh Championships in Everett.
Prep Girls Tennis: Shorewood at Mountlake Terrace, May 3
Shorewood 7 — Mountlake Terrace 0
Singles: Sasha Gaeth (Shorewood) defeated Tina Liu (Mountlake Terrace) 6-0, 6-1; Bretta Petersen (Shorewood) defeated Kaitlyn Anderson (Mountlake Terrace) 7-5, 6-2; Katie Taylor (Shorewood) defeated Kristina Shalatova (Mountlake Terrace) 6-2, 7-6; Marin Counter (Shorewood) defeated Stefiana Roesli (Mountlake Terrace) 7-6, 7-5
Doubles: Emily Wright / Ellie Allen (Shorewood) defeated Lisa Fernandez / Brianna Tran (Mountlake Terrace) 6-1, 6-0; Tina Chi / Maya Talbot (Shorewood) defeated Ruthie Little / Lauren Lee (Mountlake Terrace) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5; Meredith Rand / Anna Soper (Shorewood) defeated Nina Berry / Jennifer Tran (Mountlake Terrace) 6-3, 6-0
Records: Mountlake Terrace 0-12 in Wesco League South Conference, 0-16 overall; Shorewood 9-3 in Wesco League South Conference, 12-4 overall
Mountlake Terrace next match: at Wesco League Divisional Tournament, May 10-11, 1 p.m. at Glacier Peak High School
Prep Softball: Shorecrest at Mountlake Terrace, May 3
Shorecrest 0 0 0 0 0 x x — 0 3 1
Terrace 3 7 1 4 x x x — 15 16 0
Winning pitcher: Gabby Calhoun (Mountlake Terrace), eight strikeouts
Losing pitcher: Kat Wheeler (Shorecrest)
Records: Mountlake Terrace 10-4 in Wesco League South Conference, 11-5 overall; Shorecrest 4-11 in Wesco League South Conference, 4-13 overall
Mountlake Terrace next game: versus Lynnwood, Wednesday, May 4, 4 p.m. at Lynnwood High School
Prep Baseball: Mountlake Terrace at Meadowdale, May 3
Terrace 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 — 3
Meadowdale 1 0 0 2 5 0 0 — 8
Winning pitcher: Jacob O’Connell (Meadowdale)
Losing pitcher: Tom Bennett (Mountlake Terrace)
Records: Mountlake Terrace 6-12 in Wesco League South Conference, 7-13 overall; Meadowdale 10-8 in Wesco League South Conference, 10-10 overall
Next game: 2016 season completed for both Mountlake Terrace, Meadowdale
Prep Girls Golf: Shorecrest, at Mountlake Terrace, May 3 (nine holes, par 33, at Nile Golf & Country Club in Mountlake Terrace)
Team scores: Shorecrest 257, Mountlake Terrace DNQ
Top individual scores: Jac Longstreth (Shorecrest) 39; Riley Williams (Mountlake Terrace) 49
Mountlake Terrace next match: at Wesco League Divisional Championship, Wednesday, May 11, 11 a.m. at Snohomish Golf Course
Prep Track: Mountlake Terrace at Frosh Championship, May 3
Boys’ team scores:
1. Lake Stevens 137.6
2. Arlington 121.5
3. Henry Jackson 96
4. Edmonds-Woodway 77
5. Cascade 65.5
6. Mariner 45
7. Lynnwood 44
8. Mountlake Terrace 39
9. Everett 29
10. Kamiak 20
11. Monroe 13.5
12. Meadowdale 7
Mountlake Terrace top boys’ individual finishes:
Patrick Milam, 1st place in the pole vault, 10-06.00
Patrick Milam, 3rd place in the 100 meter hurdles, 19.95
Jaden Lofrese, 3rd place in the 3200 meters, 10:19.08
Sam Schippers, 4th place in the triple jump, 37-00.25
Sam Schippers, 5th place in the long jump, 17-10.00
Lane Larson, 5th place in the 400 meters, 56.92
Girls’ team scores:
1. Lake Stevens 177.5
2. Edmonds-Woodway 99
3. Henry Jackson 69
4. Cascade 68
5. Arlington 64
6. Monroe 44
7. Mariner 42
8. (tie) Meadowdale 37
8. (tie) Everett 37
10. Kamiak 27.5
11. Lynnwood 22
12. Mountlake Terrace 7
Mountlake Terrace top girls’ individual finishes:
Dorian Pulido, 5th place in the 3200 meters, 12:51.02
Cassidy Sadler, 8th place in the discus, 77-02
Chloe Laney, 8th place in the javelin, 70-05
Logan Otani, 9th place in the 300 meters, 1:00.76
Mountlake Terrace next meet: at Edmonds District Meet, Friday, May 6, 5 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium
–By Doug Petrowski
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