BOYS TENNIS NOTES - June 6, 2008

If area tennis fans had traded in their sunglasses for opera glasses this season, it would have been an understandable gesture as the Hanford boys sported the friendly intramural rivalry of Jake Knox and Curtis Lan, and the Kamiakin girls were led through a record-breaking season by freshman Brittney Reed of Liberty Christian.

From teammates dueling for the win to a darkhorse success story -- it didn't take much imagination to see the dramatic scope energizing the action on the courts.

And it was all but a no-brainer to choose Knox and Reed as the Tri-City Herald's All-Area tennis MVPs.

The Falcons' Jim Wilson and the Braves' Sarah Miller, meanwhile, were named coaches of the year for their guidance and organization behind the scenes.
Wilson helped Hanford's boys wrap up dual-meet play with a 5-1 league record -- the sole loss was to Kamiakin -- and led his team to a third-place state finish.

Miller took the Kamiakin girls to their first 3A state title since 1999 -- by a sharp margin of 13 points over runners-up Union and Holy Names.

But Miller refused to take all the credit, noting the contributions of Braves co-coach George Carlson and assistant coaches Pete Martin and Jeff Van Eaton.
"We run our practices together and that's a huge part of our success and longevity," Miller said. "This is my 19th year and George has been there 38 years. You look across the league and that's not always the case."

Reed, who receives her education under the Patriots banner and played for the Braves this season thanks to a provision in the WIAA rules, didn't just blossom as a player -- she rocketed to the moon and back. First, by knocking off previous state champion Alexis Filliol (West Valley) 6-3, 6-4 en route to the CBL district crown and then shutting down Arlington's Ivana Krommelova 6-1, 6-3 for the 3A state championship.

"It was definitely a tough match," Reed said. "I had to weather the storm and change up the pace and figure out what game plan worked against her."
Reed's quickfire adapability carried her through a spectacular first year, and added momentum to a career that Miller said is of much interest to area fans.
"Tennis enthusiasts in the area have known of Brittney for years and have hopes for her God-given ability," Miller said.

And the performances will continue, as Reed plans to play on a USTA PacNW team this summer.

"I play USTA all year round, and this year I'm either going to go to Texas or Louisiana to play on a Pacific Northwest Team," Reed said.

Meanwhile, Knox will be following the same road as Reed this summer as he swings the racket for the USTA in the Boys 18 Singles division.
Knox is determined to keep a serious pace on all fronts, and didn't take a breezy attitude when asked to recount his own advancement through the state tournament, where he defeated Seattle Prep's Shuhel Matsuya 6-2, 6-1 to clinch a fourth-place trophy.

"There weren't any easy wins," Knox said, but "I beat him pretty easily."
Matsuya defeated the Falcons' Curtis Lan in the consolation semifinals.
"Jake beat him pretty handily," Wilson said. "A bit of revenge for the Hanford team."

Revenge for Hanford and vindication for Lan, who proved to be Knox's toughest customer this season as he pushed Knox to three sets (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) in the regional championship.

But Knox's idea that most wins don't come easy may change next year as Wilson noted that Knox progressed by leaps and bounds this season.
"He's really picked up his game," Wilson said.

BOYS TENNIS NOTES - MAY 9, 2008

Hanford junior Jake Knox may be the Falcons' No. 1 when it comes to singles competition, but he's the fifth in the Knox family to strike a commanding presence on the tennis courts.

As a matter of fact, the entire Knox family -- parents Rob and Judy, and sisters Kasey and Molly (both former Falcons standouts now playing collegiately) -- received the United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest Family of the Year award in 2007 for their promotion and dedication to the sport, including volunteer time for fundraisers and clinics.

"It was a nice honor," said Judy, a player on the Tri-City Court Club's 5.0 team. "And we got to have a family gathering."

And it's possible that they will gather again. The Knox family is in the running -- out of a field of 16 -- for the USTA's 2008 National Family of the Year.

"It's exciting for us because we never pushed them into tennis," Judy said. "I wanted them to be involved in some exercise program, but it is impressive that they've excelled at tennis."

In the meantime, it's all business for Jake as he prepares for the CBL 3A district championships this weekend on his home courts, practicing between 90 and 120 minutes per day on his kick serve.

"I'm fine-tuning it, trying to hit my spots," he said. "Today I practiced for two hours."

It's a schedule that's paid off. Knox, 17, finished in second place in No. 1 singles at the Inland Empire tournament in Spokane last weekend, and he had a third-place finish at state in doubles, partnering with Hanford junior Curtis Lan in 2007.

According to tennisrecruiting.net, Knox is ranked No. 6 in the state, No. 11 in the Northwest and 799th nationally.

He is the top singles seed in this weekend's district tournament.

But off the court, Knox doesn't flaunt his success.

"Even though he's the best player on the team, you wouldn't know it," Falcons coach Jim Wilson said. "He's down to earth. What you see is what you get."

As a matter of fact, Knox is downright humble.

"Because I play a lot of USTA tournaments, I know there are a great deal many other players that can beat me and are better than I am," he said. "I know I'm a decent player, but not amazing. And I can't quite beat my dad yet, but it's been close."

How close?

"Last time we played we split sets," Knox said. "I can't remember the score, but I'll get him next time."

Whether he does or doesn't, Knox said that his father is his first choice for advice.

"For any technical or game strategies, I've listened to my dad," Knox said.

And Rob -- a pro at TCCC who also played at Richland High, Columbia Basin College and University of Idaho -- is quick to praise his son's development as a tennis player.

"He's coming on real strong," Rob said. "Improving day by day."

BOYS TENNIS NOTES - APRIL 17, 2008

The Mid-Columbia Athlete of the Week for April 17, 2008.

Curtis Lan, Junior

He defeated Walla Walla's Ricardo Hepp 6-4, 7-5 to capture the No. 2 boys singles title at the 28th annual Tri-City Invitational.

COLUMBIA BASIN 3A PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS

BOYS

ONES TO WATCH: Jeff Carlson, so, West Valley (district third place, regional qualifier, all-league first team, 2008 Coke Classic third place); Jake Knox, jr., and Curtis Lan, jr., Hanford (state third place, all-league first team); Micah Spaun, jr., Eastmont (all-league first team, 2008 Coke Classic fourth place); Anh-Vu Thai, jr., Kamiakin (all-league first team).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: West Valley put up a second-place showing earlier this month in the Coke Classic at Kissel Park with Carlson's third-place finish in the top singles. Cyrus Bricel was second in the No. 2 singles and Daniel Wenkler third in the No. 3 singles. ... Sunnyside has Randy DeRuyter back and will be bolstered by the additions of Jay Kima and Anthony Kim (no relation). ... Hanford tied for sixth place at state last year while Kennewick was deadlocked for 10th.

GIRLS

ONES TO WATCH: Caitlin Bampton, sr., Kamiakin (regional qualifier in singles, all-league first team, 2006 district champion in singles); Alexis Filliol, West Valley, so. (district and regional runner-up, state champion in singles); Stephanie Hamilton, sr., Southridge (all-league first team); Molly Mayer, jr., Easmont (all-league first team); Erin Salisbury, sr., Southridge (all-league first team).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Defending district, regional and state champion West Valley returns state winner Filliol, but the team graduated a strong senior class. West Valley does return Shae Oswalt and is bolstered by newcomers Tate Foster, Kaitlyn Bowman, Meg Guchee and Ashley George, the latter two who have played plenty at the tennis club. ... Madonna Gonzalez, Elvira Chiprez and Jamie Ziljstra return for Sunnyside. ... It was a crowning year for the CBL 3A girls at state as they took first and second in singles and first and fourth in doubles. But Filliol is the only medal winner back. Besides the Rams, Kennewick was third and Hanford fourth in the state team standings.