Singles are the strength for the Shorewood girls tennis team as it tries to go for its fourth straight Western Conference South Division title.
The Thunderbirds are a bit of an underdog this season to Edmonds-Woodway, who they edged last year for the title, after the Warriors broke their 45-meet win streak.
Edmonds-Woodway has a standout freshman Kira Kearsley along with top sophomores Michelle Nelson and Amanda Waldron in singles.
But don’t count the T-birds out.
Junior Anna Chatilo, who qualified for state last year as the third seed out of 4A District 1, returns to lead the T-birds at No. 1 singles this year.
MacKenzie Bang, one of two freshman who made the team, is the No. 2 singles player.
“She’s coming in with lots of talent,” Shorewood coach Arnie Moreno said. “There’s no telling how good she’s going to be this year.”
At No. 3 singles is senior co-captain Lisa Hamman, who is a steady player with a great attitude, according to Moreno.
Senior co-captain Stephanie Lim is at No. 4 singles.
“She’s a solid steady player,” Moreno said. “She’s not going to beat herself with a lot of errors.”
While the singles lineup is set, the doubles lineup is still a work in progress.
“Our strength is our singles,” Moreno said. “We’re trying to find the right combinations at doubles.”
At No. 1 doubles are junior Christine Yang and junior Hanna Yuen. Yang played on varsity last year while Yuen played JV. The No. 2 doubles team is senior co-captain Ari McInnes and senior Katie Strandberg, both returning varsity players.
The No. 3 doubles team is senior Cecilia Jeong and junior Vicky Kim.
“Our big key again is those doubles teams, how well they come along,” Moreno said.
Sixty-five girls turned out for tennis this year at Shorewood and the team was cut down to 40, said Moreno, who is in his sixth year as head coach. The squad features seven new players on the 18-player varsity this year.
“All the players are very, very solid,” Moreno said. “I feel if we have a lot of talent skills-wise.”
When the district tournament rolls around in May, Moreno believes the Wesco South could send more players to state than the Wesco North. Shorewood’s singles players did well against Snohomish, the traditional North powerhouse in a jamboree March 8.
“I feel the North lost more in talent than we did,” Moreno said.
The Thunderbirds have four players Chatilo, Bang, Hamman and McInnes who play year-round club tennis. But the rest of the varsity lineup, Yang, Yuen, Lim, Strandberg, Jeong and Kim do not play in a private club.
Many of those who are not club players have gone through Moreno’s summer camp, learning to develop and become competitive without joining a club.
Moreno said his camp is a way to develop players who have talent, but who might not be able to afford or don’t want to pay the thousands of dollars it can cost to join a club. “I would not want to be the coach who just depended on club players,” he said.
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