Sarah Tuemmler was starting to wonder if this was ever going to happen.
The past two years the Marysville Pilchuck tennis player had been an alternate to the 4A state tournament. One match away from going to the big show.
That all changed on May 18. Tuemmler defeated Eastlake’s Katie Park in a match pitting the third-place finishers in the Wesco and Kingco conference to qualify for this weekend’s 4A state tournament in Richland.
“I’m super excited because I have been so close to making it to state the past two years, and finally this year, my senior year, I get to go,” Tuemmler said. “It’s been a long road, but I’ve worked really hard.”
It’s a long road that no female tennis player at Marysville Pilchuck has traveled in a while. Tomahawks’ head coach Nathan McClellan’s asked around, and believes Tuemmler is the first MP participant in the girls’ state tournament since 1985.
“It’s been awhile,” McClellan said.
Tuemmler punched her ticket with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 come-from-behind victory against Park at Jackson High School. The match was Tuemmler’s first of the season to go to three sets and took about three hours to complete.
“I lost the first set, and then I was determined to get the next two,” Tuemmler said. “That was the first match where I just had to fight for it. And every point mattered. Some of our rallies were 45 (hits) back and forth. I just knew that I had to fight for every point.”
McClellan was impressed with Tuemmler’s ability to bounce back after dropping the first set.
“She had never really lost a close match,” McClellan said. “She knew that she would have to win two in a row. It was awesome to see the way she bounced back from that.”
Once the match was over and her state berth was finalized, Tuemmler immediately celebrated.
“I couldn’t have been more happy at that moment. I just felt this whole feeling of just relief and excitement,” she said. “I was like, ‘wow! I’m finally going to state. I’m actually going. This isn’t a dream. I’m for sure going to go.’”
The victory put Tuemmler in the state tournament, where she faces Skyview freshman Sammi Hampton. Tuemmler’s excited to see where she ranks among the top players in the state.
“I know that, overall it’s going to be a really cool and eye-opening experience to compete with all the best players in the state of Washington, and see the level of competition,” Tuemmler said. “Just kind of see where I’m at compared to those players.”
Tuemmler also plays soccer and basketball for the Tomahawks. She’s signed on to play soccer and tennis for Skagit Community College after graduating from MP. While playing three sports gives her a diverse set of athletic skills, it also limits the amount of time she can spend playing tennis in the offseason, when many state participants — like Stanwood’s Megan LaLone — compete in club tournaments.
McClellan says that just the fact that she’s in the tournament with the state’s top-16 players is a testament to how hard Tuemmler works.
“Because of those other two sports she’s limited in time to go out and play it,” McClellan said. “For her to be able to compete at that level with the kids that are in the clubs is pretty impressive. It says a lot about her athletic ability and her will to battle.”
The state trip is also the first for McClellan, who has been MP’s girls’ tennis coach since 2000. He admits he’s also “really excited” to head to Richland and be a part of the state tournament. McClellan said he knows the state tournament is going to be very challenging, but thinks that Tuemmler just might be able to pull out a win or two.
Either way, McClellan’s eager to find out what it’s like to be a coach at the state tournament. And he’s very thankful to Tuemmler for giving him that opportunity.
“For me, coming from Marysville where you just don’t have the tennis program some of these other schools have, it’s really kind of an honor to know that you’ve got somebody that’s willing to put in the time,” McClellan said. “It’s really an honor to just be coaching that type of the player. It could be another 27 years before we see that again.”
Like McClellan, Tuemmler isn’t sure what’s going to take place during her first and only state tournament. She just wants to play hard, do her best and have some fun.
“It’s hard to say right now, because I don’t really know any of the girls I’m going to play,” Tuemmler said. “I know it’s going to be tough completion every time I play. I’m just hoping to get as many wins as possible. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out.
“I’m just really excited to go to state.”
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