Shorecrest and Shorewood scored some favorable draws for this week’s Western Conference South Division girls tennis tournaments at Jackson High School.
Matches have been underway since Wednesday and are scheduled to run through May 17.
The Scots branch off with the conference’s other two 3A schools — Lynnwood and Meadowdale — to vie for two singles and doubles berths to next week’s Northwest District 3A tournaments in Bellingham.
Shorecrest’s Katherine Walsh and Michelle Alberty landed a No. 1 seed to the 3A division doubles tournament and a first round bye.
The seniors went 12-2 during league play, dropping their first and last match of the season while occupying the top doubles slot for the Scots.
“Michelle is a lefty and she’s got a good serve,” Shorecrest coach Barry Majorowicz said. “She does a good job of swinging the ball out wide, allowing Katherine to do a lot of poaching at the net. Katherine’s strength is her return of serve.”
Another pair of seniors are teaming up for Shorecrest. Amy Roubound and Jenna Walsh spent most of the season playing singles, but impressed Majorowicz in a recent exhibition doubles match.
“One of the things in their favor is they’re both consistent,” he said. “Amy has a tendency to hit with more power, but they’re both aggressive.”
Sophomore Ashley Opdyke rose to the top of Shorecrest’s ladder midway through the season and received a No. 2 seed and first round bye to the six-player 3A singles bracket.
“She should be able to play in Bellingham next week,” Majorowicz said. “But with so few matches, one match can make all the difference.”
Opdyke was undefeated at No. 2 singles when she took over the top spot.
“She’s very committed,” Majorowicz said. “She really wanted to be No. 1. The last half of the season she found out there’s a big difference between No. 1 and No. 2.”
Senior Tammy Shen took Shorecrest’s remaining bid to the division tournament and drew a potential semifinal encounter with top-seeded Lynnwood senior Astri McCartney.
In the 14-player Wesco 4A South Division singles bracket, Shorewood freshman Samantha Lim earned a No. 3 seed.
“It sounds a bit cliché, but she’s unflappable,” Shorewood coach Arnie Moreno said. “Nothing phases her. She handles pressure better than any athlete I’ve seen. She might be feeling it on the inside, but it doesn’t show.”
Sophomore Anastasia Shatilo will also play singles for the Thunderbirds and was awarded the eighth and final seed.
Seniors Kelle Jones and Meghan Haggerty go in as a No. 4 seed to the 4A doubles tournament. The duo went 4-0 during the regular season.
“They’re a solid team,” Moreno said. “Their experience is going to be key.”
Blossom Cohon and Jordan Reni received a No. 8 seed.
The top three finishers in the singles and doubles brackets automatically qualify for the Northwest District 4A tournaments next week at Lake Stevens High School.
The fourth-place finishers will play the Wesco 4A North Division’s fifth-place finishers in pigtail matches May 20 to decide the final district berths.
With its 15-1 league record, Jackson captured its first South Division title in three years. Shorecrest (13-3) defeated Shorewood (12-4) last week to secure second place.
“It was really close. At the start of the year we figured we’d be in the top three and we’d have a shot at winning it,” Moreno said. “Some people had us picked to finish in the middle. We were in the running for the championship until the end.”
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