Baik tops LaLone
Published 8:57 pm Wednesday, May 18, 2011
MILL CREEK — If the Class 4A District 1 girls tennis singles final was a preview of the state championship match, then the spectators at state are in for a treat.
Kamiak’s Elaine Baik and Stanwood’s Megan LaLone engaged in a no-holds-barred slugfest Wednesday afternoon at Jackson High School
to determine the district champion. And after a high-caliber, emotionally charged marathon that lasted longer than two hours, it was Baik who emerged victorious.
“I just hung in there every point,” Baik said. “Megan played a great match, she did very well and just pushed me. I just got one more point and hung in there physically and mentally.”
Wednesday’s title match ebbed back and forth on multiple occasions. Baik and LaLone, who dropped just three games combined en route to the district title contest, appeared perfectly matched. LaLone brought her raw power to the court while Baik contered with her ability to get to every ball. The result was a lot of long, highlight-reel points and a lot of momentum changes.
But the final ebb went Baik’s direction as she won the match’s final six games to prevail 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
“Me and Elaine always have really close matches,” LaLone said. “We play all the time and it’s always three sets. This was another really tough one. I think she just got the momentum at the end.”
Baik and LaLone are considered two of the top 4A contenders. Baik, a senior, placed third at state in 2009 before taking last season off from high school tennis to concentrate on tournament play. LaLone, a junior, was the state runner-up last year.
With two-time defending 4A champion Meghan Cassens of Decatur no longer in the picture — Decatur was reclassified as a 3A school last summer, and Cassens is playing doubles this year anyway — Baik and LaLone are at the top of the list for filling the vacancy.
It was clear both players, who did not meet during the regular season, understood the stakes. Both displayed plenty of emotion, exalting after hitting winners and muttering to themselves following mistakes. There were even heated moments when both players questioned line calls made by their opponent.
“It was definitely emotional,” Baik said.
“I learned something from this match,” Baik added. “You just have to keep being strong and never give up. That’s the mentality I’m going to take to state.”
After twisting one directon and then the other, Wednesday’s match turned one last time early in the third set.
Baik came out on fire at the start of the match, making no mistakes in the first four games to take control of the first set. However, LaLone found the range late in the first set, and though she still dropped the first set she carried her quality play over into the second. When Baik’s serve simultaneously broke down, LaLone cruised through the second set.
LaLone then won the first two games of the third set and Baik, still struggling with her serve, was on the ropes. One had the sense that if Baik couldn’t hold serve trailing 2-0, LaLone would run away with the rest of the match.
Baik’s serve didn’t quite rebound, but it returned enough that she managed to gut her way through a service hold in an extremely long game that featured multiple deuces. That hold changed the tide as both Baik’s confidence and serve returned, and she went the rest of the way without dropping a game.
“I knew (LaLone) was playing very strongly,” Baik said. “She was serving well and hitting good ground strokes. I just thought to myself that I need to be strong and stay in there mentally. It was a little bit frustrating for me with my serve, but I didn’t get negative, I just stayed positive.”
The state tournament takes place May 27-28 at the Vancouver Tennis Center. And just maybe a rematch is in store.
“Hopefully I can get her at state,” LaLone said. “If we meet it will be another close match.”
