Doughty, Dahl win doubles title

NEWPORT — Seniors Emmalee Doughty and Marisa Dahl came back from district play Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 with a Girls Doubles Northeast 2B League tennis title after beating the only team they had lost to in the regular season, Chewelah.

“It was great tennis from both teams, but it felt great to see the girls click and play the best tennis of the year,” Newport coach Brandon McDaniel says.

Doughty and Dahl only had one match on Friday and beat No. 3 St. Georges at 6-0, 6-0. The next day they faced the top St. George’s team in the semis and beat them 6-3, 6-2.

That put the pair in a match against Chewelah for the district doubles title.

Chewelah went up 4-1 in the first set. McDaniel says Doughty and Dahl worked together to come back and win the set 7-5. The second set was equally close.

“Emmalee made some amazing plays on the ball from the baseline and both girls were attacking the net effectively,” he says. They went ahead 5-4 in the second set, with Dahl serving. “She made quick work of the first two going up 30love and Chewelah was able to get the next one back and score before she sent one more that couldn't be returned for a 40-15 score and match point. She got her first serve in again and Chewelah put it into the net.”

The Newport girls doubles team of Allie Ericksen and Evelyn Sears were the youngest team at districts. Erickson is a freshman and Sears an eighth grader. They lost in two sets to Freeman.

“They played well and actually took two games in the second set, but what they learned and experienced this year will pay dividends for the long haul moving forward,” McDaniel says.

The girls’ singles players Heaven Cooper and Maria Swiatkowska played well but didn’t get a win, McDaniel says.

Camrin Taxter made it to the second day. The tournament was loser out the first day.

“Camrin was our only singles girl who made it to the second step where she faced a really tough St. George’s No. 2 seed,” McDaniel says. “She played extremely well in her first match, and it was great to see her growth this year. She will be atop the singles ladder next year with Heaven graduating and Maria is a foreign exchange student who will be returning home.”

The girls finished in third place as a team.

On the boys’ side, Markus Will won his first match against a Kettle Falls opponent.

That put him against a tough St. George’s player.

“Markus played well but couldn't quite get it done and lost in the quarter finals,” McDaniel says.

DJ Adkins lost to a Chewelah player. “It was his first ever district tournament and he is going to be a great tennis player to watch over the next few years as he is only a freshman this year,” Mc-Daniel says.

McDaniel is optimistic about Newport tennis next year.

“Newport as a whole is extremely young in tennis, and I can honestly say that I have never had a young group more excited about the sport and as dedicated as I do this year,” he says. He expects record numbers coming throughout the summer working on their game. He says his assistant coach Jennifer Frye works well with the young players.

“If we can keep that consistency, fun, and love for the game, things should look really bright over the next couple of years for us,” he says.