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YAKIMA – Newport walked away from the 1B/2B Girls Doubles Tennis State Championship with third place medals after competing May 22-23 at the Yakima Tennis Club. Seniors Marisa Dahl and Emmalee Doughty placed higher than any past team that has gone into postseason play individually and scored the highest placement as a team with a fifth place overall finish, according to coach Brandon McDaniel.
“The girls came in with great attitudes and a lot of confidence and took the first set 7-5 in our opener against Okanogan before dropping the next two 3-6, 4-6,” McDaniel said. “From there it was loser out and I knew it was going to be interesting to see how they responded in the next match. They picked up where they left off versus Friday Harbor and found a bit more of a rhythm playing well in two sets with a victory at 6-3, 6-3.”
Going into Saturday the Grizzlies played a very good Granger team. Dahl and Doughty took the first set 6-4 with some great lobs and put aways with Doughty taking control at the net.
“We struggled in the next set early going down 2-5,” McDaniel said. “I talked to them at the turn and just wanted them to see if they could find their swing again before we went to a third set.”
The girls found their swing and won the next two games to take it to 4-5 and continued to take momentum to end that set 7-5, winning five games in a row to head to the third and fourth place match.
“We were able to watch that one play out shortly after the girls got done and low and behold, it was our NE2B girls from over the mountain in Chewelah,” McDaniel said. The Cougars had been Dahl’s and Doughty’s only defeat in the regular season.
“Our girls came into that match more relaxed than I had seen them most of the season and were already excited in what they had accomplished up to that point,” McDaniel said. “They played absolutely lights out from start to finish going up 5-0 in the first set finishing that one at 6-2.”
It was a close back and forth for the first part of the second set, but the girls pulled away and Dahl, as she has done all year, finished out her career serving for the win in the last game and a 6-3 win.
“Both girls played amazing, and Emmalee played the best tennis I have seen her play in her career,” McDaniel said. “She was a rock out there doing what she needed to do to give them both a chance at a win. It was a great last match watching them go out so relaxed and play the way they did; a sweet way to end the season and the career of two great kids that have poured so much into the program.”
McDaniel added that he is looking forward to offseason work with the next group of tennis players Newport has coming up and he hopes the program can continue to grow in numbers and skill.
“Marisa and Emmalee have certainly set the bar high for our up and coming kids, but I am excited to see them continue to compete and grow,” McDaniel said.
