WOLVES ADVANCE 3 TO DISTRICTS

Jaysa Hill smacks a backhand as she and teammate Kari Hankins took on Aimee Gray and Amanda Spiegel of Kingston Friday. Photo by Michael Dashiell

Belfair — May 10, 2008

A tough draw for the defending state champs.

Sequim advanced three of the Wolves’ 11 players — singles player Angela Richards and doubles duo Blaire Maloney and Kyla Hall — to the 2A district tournament after a tough divisional tourney May 9, 10 in Belfair.

Richards topped Klahowya's Lauren Fuller 6-3, 6-2 for the district third seed on Monday afternoon, the final match of the tourney, because of a late draw on Friday afternoon.

“I’m not surprised,” Sequim coach Doug Hastings said. “I thought we might have one more doubles team get in to the district (tournament).”

Hall and Maloney earned a district berth after finishing second in the doubles bracket, losing in three sets to a team from Klahowya.

The top three players from the 2A district tournament, set for May 16-17 in Federal Way, advance to the class 2A state tourney.

“Angela (Richards) can be up in the top three or four, and Blaire and Kyla are in the top three or four,” Hastings said. “If they play par tennis or better they have a fair chance.”

Here are recaps from Sequim’s final matches heading into the divisional playoffs:

Sequim sweeps Klahowya

In their final tune-up for the playoffs, the Wolves found their Eagle counterparts a rather easy mark.

Sequim players didn’t lose a set in a 7-0 sweep of their Silverdale visitors May 6.

Angela Richards scored a 6-0, 6-0 win against Klahowya’s Issa Bruce while Kali Wake and Caihley Baker, normally doubles players, each won their first singles matches of the season.

Kyla Hall and Blaire Maloney swept away Klahowya’s Mariadela Rosa and Cassie Winter 6-4 and 6-2 in No. 1 doubles action to improve to 6-0 in 2008. Kari Hankins and Jaysa Hill won 7-5, 6-1 in No. 2 doubles play while Sarah Boucher and Renee Brilhante were up 5-1 in the first set before their Klahowya opponents retired. Sequim’s Sarah Hogoboom and Dung Quach topped Kristine Garcia and Jessica McMullen 6-3 and 6-2 for their first doubles win.

The Wolves finished 8-4 for the regular season.