GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW ’10: Kentridge charging to the top

They started strong, but stumbled late.

Last spring, the Kentridge girls tennis team bolted out of the gate, winning seven of its first eight matches en route to taking control of the South Puget Sound League North Division. Life was certainly good for the Chargers, who appeared destined for a second consecutive SPSL North crown.

In a neck-and-neck race with both Auburn and Kentwood, the Chargers ran out of steam down the stretch, dropping three of its final eight matches. As Kentridge sputtered, Auburn surged, securing its first SPSL North crown since 2003.

Kentridge girls tennis coach Jennifer McIntosh is hoping her team can finish just a bit differently this spring.

“(Last year) we took out Auburn early on and Kentwood later, then we kind of faltered at the end,” McIntosh explained. “I am hoping we will finish stronger this year, that’s one of our goals.”

Kentridge certainly has gotten off to a good start.

During a spring that has been filled with more rain than sunshine, the Chargers have been able to scratch out four straight wins to start the season. Two of those wins came against Thomas Jefferson, now in the SPSL Central, and SPSL South power Puyallup. Both programs are traditionally at or near the top of their respective divisions, which simply adds emphasis to how well the Chargers have begun.

The best indicator to where the Chargers are right now, however, likely came on March 25, when they stunned league favorite and the 2009 champion Auburn Trojans in five matches, 3-2.

“I thought we had a chance and we pleasantly pulled it out,” McIntosh said. “We’re probably a little bit ahead of where I thought we would be at this point.”

The win took a little juggling of the lineup to muster, McIntosh admitted, and showed how good of depth the Chargers possess.

“It was a big win because I think Auburn was expected to rule,” she said.

Likely the most pivotal point of the win came in the No. 1 doubles match, where Kentridge senior Jazmin AhYat and freshman Kyana Esber teamed up to knock off Auburn’s Peyton Prothero and Karen Wentzke, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“We were worried after losing the first set,” admitted AhYat. “When we won the second set, we were like, ‘We can do this.’ It was a great win because we fought back really hard.”

Fighting back hard is something AhYat has become accustomed to this season. Kentridge’s senior captain suffered a shoulder injury during the offseason and is not yet back to full strength. The injury has had a dramatic impact on AhYat’s game, forcing her to serve underhand when she’s more accustomed to delivering hard, overhand attacks.

“It’s easier to serve underhand, but it makes it tough because (my opponents) are able to put (the ball) away easier,” she said.

Right now, however, the only thing the Chargers are hoping to put away is a league crown. Few tennis programs in the area have enjoyed more success during the past six years. Since 2005, Kentridge has posted a 62-11 league record, a mark that includes one championship (2008), three second-place finishes and one third.

With a deep and talented returning group this spring, challenging for a North crown is a rather distinct possibility for Kentridge. And while the Chargers will have to count on AhYat and her sore right shoulder to anchor the No. 1 doubles team, there’s ample talent throughout the rest of the roster. Also back in the mix from last season is singles standout Vicky Tran, senior doubles tandem Sunita Venkatesh and Beth Vanden Heuval along with junior Alissa Lee, who plays singles. Meanwhile, Esber and Katie Ly, both of whom are freshmen, and sophomore Karissa Lau have shown that the future also is bright for the KR program.

But is it enough to win the North?

“I think we can,” McIntosh said. “We’re not as top heavy as we’ve been in the past, but we have really good depth. We are solid.”