Maverick standout undefeated

Meadowdale senior Lauren Summers is looking for a third straight trip to the state girls tennis tournament.

So far so good.

Summers improved to 7-0 with Tuesday’s 6-0, 6-0 victory over Mountlake Terrace’s Lola Johnston.

In the past Summers had also ski raced, which cut into her time with the tennis team, but this year she is focusing on tennis, according to Mavericks coach Mark Schneider.

“She wanted to put 100 percent effort into tennis,” he said.

Summers finished second in districts and then went two-and-out at the Class 4A state tournament. Schneider noted that Summers also plays about four hours of tennis outside of high school and was active in tournaments in the offseason.

“She’s the real deal,” Schneider said. “She’s really powerful. She had a powerful serve and a powerful forehand. She had a great backhand and she had a real tough mental game. She doesn’t let up on her opponents. She gets ahead and stays ahead.”

Summer’s toughness seems to be inspiring her teammates as Meadowdale is currently 6-2 in the league and tied for third place with Edmonds-Woodway.

“It’s a tight team. They stick together,” Schneider said. “They support each other. I have great athletes on the team and they have a great attitude.”

Senior Lee Martin also has stepped up her game at No. 3 singles. In Tuesday’s match against Terrace’s Michelle Hering, Martin dropped the first set 6-4 but then rallied to win the next two 6-2, 6-2. The Meadowdale senior has made steady progress since her freshman season, Schneider said.

The Mavericks’ No. 1 doubles team is a new pairing. Schneider thought that Erica Landa and Emma Boemke had potential as a doubles team and he is being proven right. The duo is 5-3.

“They’re really aggressive,” Schneider said. “They’ve gotten better and better each match.”

Here is a look at Edmonds-Woodway, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.

Edmonds-Woodway

Halfway through the regular season, the Warriors are about where coach Dan Crist expected them to be — 6-2 in the league with the two losses coming to Shorewood and Jackson.

“We’ve had a lot of close matches we’ve been able to pull out,” Crist said.

Jackson edged Edmonds-Woodway 4-3, while Shorewood coasted to a 7-0 victory.

Senior Erika Korpi brings consistency to the No. 1 singles slot.

“She’s doing well,” Crist said. “She’s a steady player. She gets the ball back and moves it around real well.”

Senior Shannon McCleary is at No. 2 singles. She played mainly doubles in the past but is excelling at singles. McCleary has lost only one match this season.

Edmonds-Woodway’s doubles teams are largely the younger players and they’re responded to the challenge.

“They’ve probably been the strength of the team,” Crist said.

Ikue Maeda and Esther Ham are playing at No. 1. The two played mainly at No. 2 or No. 3 doubles last season.

“They are really the only doubles team out there that has experience as a partnership,” Crist said.

Lynnwood

The Royals’ 1-7 league record doesn’t really reflect how the team is playing, according to Lynnwood coach Jim McKinnon.

“I’m very optimistic about these girls,” he said.

McKinnon had seen significant improvement and expects it to continue.,

Junior Laura Harding is at No. 1 singles and has shaken off a slow start.

“She’s got a couple of wins under her belt,” McKinnon said. “She’s learning to play better strategy.”

Junior Heather McCartney is a first-year player but has progressed enough to land the No. 2 singles slot.

“She’s got lot of skills,” McKinnon said. “She’s very positive and just a terrific girl.”

Seniors Brittany Little and Mary Nguyen give Lynnwood experience at No. 1 doubles. The two have played together for a couple of years.

Sophomore Lauryn White has been the biggest surprise so far. She played mostly at No. 3 doubles last year. This season she’s moved up to No. 3 singles and has won two of three matches so far.

Mountlake Terrace

First-year Hawks coach Cena Miller has a near-even mix of returning varsity players and junior varsity talent that is moving up.

What Miller hopes to see the second half of the season is a little more consistency from her lineup.

The Hawks’ top singles players includes senior Lola Johnston, sophomore Michelle Heringer and sophomore Haley Ruitemann. Though she is out with a injury, freshman Ann Troung has shown promise at No. 3 and No. 4 singles.

“I’m looking forward to the next four years with her,” Miller said.

Another new player who is making a solid first impression is sophomore Kayla Lidnin, Miller added.