Newport tennis falls to Freeman, beats Chewelah

FREEMAN – The Newport tennis team had a tough match with Freeman Monday, March 30, with the girls losing 3-2.

“They have some great experienced singles players, and we just didn’t have the firepower they did in those games,” Newport coach Brandon McDaniel says of the three singles matches.

Heaven Cooper, Carmin Taxter and Maria Swiatkowska each lost in two sets, with only Cooper managing to win a game.

The doubles team was another matter with the No.

1 doubles team of Marisa Dahl and Emmalee Doughty winning 6-0, 6-2 and the No. 2 doubles team of Evelyn Sears and Allie Ericksen winning 6-2, 6-4.

McDaniel says the young team of Sears and Ericksen is doing great.

“Allie and Evelyn keep taking big jumps forward each match they play together,” he says. “To have a freshman and an eighth grader undefeated at the varsity number two doubles position is not a common situation.”

On the boys’ side, DJ Atkins and Marcus Will got a two-set win at N. 1 doubles.

Vance Vooge lost in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Friday the Grizzlies went to Chewelah for a match.

Chewelah’s No. 1 girls’ singles player is talented, McDaniel says. She beat Cooper 6-0, 6-0.

“Heaven did the best she could, taking her to deuce a few times, but was just overpowered,” he says.

Taxter lost at No. 2 singles. Swiatkowska lost her first set at No. 3 singles 6-0 but had a good second set. She was ahead 4-3 but her opponent had to leave so Newport won on forfeit.

The girls’ doubles teams continued their winning ways, but not without effort.

Dahl and Doughty won their first set 7-5, lost the second 7-5 and took the third 10-4.

“It was such a great matchup for both teams,” McDaniel says. “There is a lot of respect and competition because that play is so high; it was definitely one of my favorite matches of the year.” Sears and Ericksen started slow, losing the first set 6-3 at No. 2 doubles.

They came back to win the second set 6-3, putting them into a tiebreaker, which they won 10-7 to win the match.

The boys struggled, with Will losing in two sets, as did DJ Atkins, although Atkins won two games in the second set.

Monday, April 13, Newport takes on Kettle Falls at home starting at 3 p.m.

Wednesday, April 15, the Grizzlies are also at home, playing Freeman, also at 3 p.m.