GIRLS TENNIS: Kentridge hands KW first loss

It was a gamble that paid quick dividends.

And one that ultimately helped the Kentridge High girls tennis team stay alive for a second-straight South Puget Sound League North Division title.

Behind a juggled lineup, the Chargers turned back previously unbeaten Kentwood Tuesday afternoon, 4-1.

Instead of using senior star Kim Quach at No. 1 singles and Vicky Tran at No. 2, their customary roles with the team, Kentridge coach Jennifer McIntosh opted for a different look on Tuesday with the idea that it just might throw off the Conquerors.

Quach moved to No. 1 doubles to play with Katherine Melville while Tran slid up to No. 1 singles. Kentridge (7-1) came away victorious in both to hand Kentwood (7-1) its first SPSL North loss of the season.

“It was a gamble,” said Quach, who had not played doubles with Melville in two years. “Once we got up a couple games, we were like, ‘OK, we’ve got this.'”

McIntosh liked the idea of a different strategy against Kentwood, a team that had managed to go unbeaten through league play in the season’s first half despite a handful of close matches.

“I wanted to mix up my lineup so Kentwood didn’t know where we were going,” McIntosh said. “I thought I could get four points from this (lineup).”

The plan worked to perfection.

Tran erased Kentwood’s Niki Skinner in fine fashion, 6-3, 6-3.

Quach, the North Division’s top-returning senior, paired with Melville to upend Alyssa Nagai and Breanna Esber, 6-1, 6-4.

Kentridge also pulled out victories from Jazmin AhYat and Kelsey Robson in No. 2 doubles and Sunita Venkatesh and Jocelyn Chang in No. 3 doubles.

Kentwood’s lone win came in No. 2 singles, where Korin Hedlund knocked off Shereya Shirude 6-3, 6-3.

The win helped the Chargers move into a tie with the Conquerors for the top spot in the SPSL North. Though the lineup shift didn’t throw off the Conquerors, Kentwood coach Ingrid Baake said.

“It’s funny. That’s what we thought they would do and we tried to match up the best we could,” Baake said.

Kentridge went unscathed in winning the North Division last year while Kentwood snagged the crown in 2007.

With eight matches remaining and Auburn just two matches behind KW and KR, the title is still very much up for grabs.

“Anyone could win it,” Baake said. “The league is really equal this year.”

While that’s the case, Tuesday’s win was crucial for the Chargers.

“I think (winning another title) is definitely one of the top things on our list,” Quach said. “We wanted to show people that it wasn’t luck last year, we’re trying to prove it was no fluke.”

The Conquerors will get another crack at the Chargers at 3:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Kentridge High.

“It’s a good thing (that we play Tuesday),” Baake said. “It keeps it fresh in your mind. Fresh on who you’ve played. In tennis, it’s not necessarily a good thing to wait a long time to play someone again.”

• ALSO: Kentridge’s victory over Kentwood came one day after a narrow 3-2 win over Federal Way. Tran pulled out a win in No. 1 singles while Quach and AhYat along with Robson and Melville added victories in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. … Kentwood swept through Auburn Riverside on Monday, 5-0. Tess Manthou (No. 1 singles), Skinner (No. 2 singles), Nagai and Esber (No. 1 doubles), Hedlund and Eliana Spero (No. 2 doubles) along with Camille Madsen and Aera Shin (No. 3 doubles) all earned wins. … Kentlake couldn’t handle Thomas Jefferson on Monday, falling 3-2. Julie Williams and Kara Ikeda (No. 1 doubles) along with Annie Cavanaugh and Kelsey Wagner (No. 3 doubles) all earned wins. … Kent-Meridian nearly upset Auburn on Monday, falling 3-2. Kent-Meridian’s Anna Mardakova (No. 1 singles) and Rosa Fernandez (No. 2 singles) both snagged wins for the Royals.