Jimmy Hua
Kamiak | Senior
The returning All-Wesco first-teamer and Class 4A state-placer has shored up his ability to play at the net this offseason, making his game as complete as that of anybody in the region.
“He’s learned how to stay at the net and volley on the short ball, and that’s been his Achilles’ heel,” Kamiak coach Vic Alinen said of Hua. “He went to state and finished eighth, but he has a lot higher expectations this year.”
Alinen credits Hua’s ability to learn from players who have beaten him, which fed into his desire to improve his volleying game.
“He saw all the top players at state being able to volley,” Alinen said. “He’s a very smart young man in playing the game. He knows how to stay in points and is mentally tough.”
Kincaid Norris
Snohomish | Junior
Snohomish coach Dick Jansen views Norris as a late physical bloomer, and the impact of that development should be evident in the returning All-Wesco first-teamer’s junior campaign.
“His increase in physicality and his growth have created more strength and consistency in general,” Jansen said. “The biggest difference in him is his ability to recreate strokes. He hits every ball the same way. He has real good feet and is in the right position all the time.”
Jansen said Norris’ serve has been the weakest point of his game, both in terms of power and accuracy, but that has improved.
“I wouldn’t call it a weapon, but it’s not a weakness,” Jansen said. “He gives people different looks. He’s definitely a package, and he’s devoted to tennis. He plays in every tournament he can.”
Ulises Aceves-Castaneda
Everett | Senior
Everett singles coach Jim Conner is used to the oohs and aahs when Aceves-Castaneda plays. He just tunes them out.
“He moves really, really well. Hardly ever a match goes by where people don’t wonder, ‘How did he get to that ball?,’” Conner said. “(Against Edmonds-Woodway) he got to two or three balls that I didn’t think were humanly possible. But I’m getting jaded and used to it.”
As talented as Aceves-Castaneda is, Conner says he’s also the most hard-working member of the Seagulls’ roster. “He’s an exemplary athlete, but he’s put in more hours of work than anyone else on the team combined,” he said.
Conner said the experience Aceves-Castaneda gained from playing at the Class 3A state tournament last year benefited him tremendously, and the coach is confident about a return trip.
“We haven’t ordered a room for state, but we’re close,” he said.
Yevgeniy Kolomiyets
Cascade | Sophomore
After spending his freshman season learning how to be a top-flight high school tennis player, Kolomiyets is ready to take the next step as a sophomore.
“He’s a very analytical player,” Cascade coach Brian Cherniak said. “He comes to me with a plan of what he needs to work on, and like with all good athletes, he’s very self-directed. He knows his weaknesses and what he wants to develop.”
Cherniak said Kolomiyets played in USTA events over the summer to hone his craft against other top players and has taken lessons at Columbia Athletic Club in Everett.
“Tennis is his only sport, so he focuses on it 12 months of the year,” Cherniak said. “As he’s maturing, he’s developing into a power player.”
Bence Dare
Jackson | Senior
Dare has been well-prepared for the No. 1 singles role atop the Timberwolves’ vaunted lineup after serving as an apprentice to Ben Mietzner last season.
“He learned a lot being around Ben, especially that you don’t get many days off at one-singles,” Jackson coach David Hutt said. “He wants to be a top player, and he’s developing the composure and calmness to his game that he saw when he went to state as an alternate last year.”
Hutt said Dare has a firm serve and is confident enough in it to put more into his second serves than many of his counterparts.
“His freshman and sophomore years he’s been more of a baseliner, but he’s working on coming to the net more,” Hutt said, “which you have to do if you want to be one of the top players in our league.”
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