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Tiger duo reaches semifinals
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After a relatively simple match Thursday — a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win against La Salle — the Tiger duo pulled off the big upset. Defending state champions Morgan Enberg and Gwynneth Johnson of Oregon Episcopal School entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Little did they know a team from the east would end their dreams of a repeat. “You don’t see upsets like that at the state level,” La Grande head coach Mike Schireman said. “(Kara) and (Josi) played a solid match. The key was they stayed focused.” Gerst and Lyman dug a 3-0 hole in the first set. That started the roller-coaster ride. The La Grande seniors rallied back to even the match and force a tie-break. Enberg and Johnson couldn’t hold on, and the Tigers team escaped with an important win. The match favorites cruised to a 6-3 win the the second set. Gerst and Lyman jumped out to a 5-2 advantage, but that lead wouldn’t hold. Again a tie-break was needed to settle the set. Enberg and Johnson scored four of the first five points. But that pesky, unseeded team rallied to win six points to close out the match. Gerst and Lyman will face fourth-seeded Delancy Albers and Tanya Xiong of Cascade in the semifinals today. Griff Schireman and Richard Mills earned the right to play on Friday with a 7-5, 6-2 win against Jacob Guckenberg and Mike Trapp of Marist. The ride didn’t last long. A duo from Umatilla knocked the La Grande juniors into the consolation bracket. “It would have been nice to see this team before the state tournament,” Schireman said. “We had matches set up, but the weather didn’t cooperate.” Schireman and Mills bounced back to win their opening consolation match 8-5. They will play Derek Schildknecht and Robert Schmeits of Baker City. Erich Meilke and Mike Baxter dropped their Thursday match 7-5, 6-1.
State tennis at Eugene Swim and Tennis Club Thursday Gerst/Lyman, LG, def., Hawkins/Cooley, La Salle, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Gerst/Lyman, LG, def., Anfinson/Heilman, Riverside, 6-4, 6-1. Gerst/Lyman, LG, def., Enberg/Johnson, OES, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (4).
State tennis at Eugene Swim and Tennis Club Thursday Morse/Johnson, Cascade, def. Mielke/Baxter, LG, 7-5, 6-1. Schireman/Mills, LG, def. Guckenberger/Trapp, Marist, 7-5, 6-2. Friday Coleman/Watson, Umatilla, def. Schireman/Mills, LG, 6-3, 6-2. Schireman/Mills, LG, def. Sim/Ellis, Sisters, 8-5. |
