LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i High tennis teams remain at the top of the standings in Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation play following the results of Saturday play at the Po‘ipu Kai tennis courts.
The Red Raider boys and girls teams downed Kapa‘a High, 5-0 and 5-0, respectively.
“Our players were solid today,” said Kaua‘i High coach Shannon Burkman. “Throughout the week, they are able to participate in a lot of match play during practice against each other. This helps them to experience playing under pressure. We are very proud of their effort and sportsmanship today.”
Island School, traveling to the Waimea High courts for the second Saturday KIF series, pulled off a 3-2 edge over the Menehune wahine, and secured a 4-1 showing over the Waimea boys.
The Menehune wahine were strong at the top, claiming victories in first singles and first doubles.
Menehune Kamalani Goo downed Voyager Ava Anderston, 6-1, 6-2 in girls first singles match, and the Waimea duo of Victoria Mendoza and Kieran Canavan were 6-4, 6-4 winners over the Island School duo of Madi Welsh and Brooklyn Mackey.
Island School’s Samantha Brown defeated Waimea’s Erich Borbos, 6-1, 6-2, in girls second singles. The Voyagers posted victories in second and third doubles when Maya Ventura paired with Katie Brown to take the Waimea duo of Macie-Lynn Raos and Kathleen Alvarez in three sets in second doubles, 5-7, 6-2, and 10-5.
Another three-set affair took place in girls third doubles, when Island School’s Zooey Johnson and Roxy Wang edged out Waimea’s duo of Kaye Alvarez and Charmain Acoba, 6-4, 5-7 and 10-7.
Waimea’s sole boys win was in second doubles, when Benedict Uri paired with Rhaziah Tacub-Taniguchi to edge out Island School’s pair of Jacob Brosamer and Ryan Biederman, 3-6, 6-3 and 10-3.
The Voyagers controlled the boys singles, when first singles player Michael Fitzgerald swept Menehune Mar Ruiz, 6-0, 6-0, and Ramana Wills got his win on a Waimea default.
Voyager Mark Fitzgerald, the other half of the Fitzgerald brothers, teamed with Reed Brown to shut down Waimea’s Richard Palacio and Peyton Siliado, 6-0, 6-0, in first doubles. Voyagers Gabriel Kelley and Travis Calico took a 6-3, 7-5 win over the Menehune pair of Jayce Foster and Aaron Ragus to complete the day in Waimea.
For the Red Raiders in Po‘ipu, Grace Aguilera took the girls first singles match over Kapa‘a’s Rain Hannsz, 6-0, 6-3, and Kirra Carvalho controlled the girls second singles contest, 6-3, 6-1 over Kapa‘a’s Parker Reed.
Kaua‘i High’s team of Marley Marty and Zoe Carvalho took the victory in first doubles, over Kapa‘a’s duo of Ocean Amador and Finley Geis, 6-2, 6-1.
The Hubbard sisters, Savannah and Maddison, controlled the second doubles match, with a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Kapa‘a pair of Chloe Hannsz and Toni Umalla.
In girls third doubles, Red Raiders Kate Nakamura and Jeanine Longboy downed the Kapa‘a duo of Kailee-Ann Baltazar and Wainohia Kitamura, 6-3, 6-0.
Kaua‘i’s boys performers were strong in all their matches, dropping just six games in five matches.
Red Raider Dillon Fulks started the action in first singles with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Kapa‘a’s Thomas Capelli. In second singles, Kaua‘i High’s Judah Sapp downed Kapa‘a’s Nick Uribe, 6-0, 6-1.
The Kaua‘i High boys strength continued in doubles, when Tanner Hubbard paired with Cameron Teves in first doubles to defeat the Kapa‘a duo of Rego Uribe and John Dmaoal, 6-1, 6-0.
In boys second doubles, Kaua‘i High’s Matthew Rivera and Joe Puplava took out Kapa‘a’s Jayson Muramaru and Rico Natalio, 6-0, 6-0. Kapa‘a defaulted to the Red Raider duo of Isaac Mirey and Troy Diaz in third doubles.
More KIF tennis action will take place Saturday, when Kapa‘a hosts Waimea at the Kapa‘a High courts starting at 9 a.m., and Kaua‘i High will take on Island School at the Po‘ipu Kai tennis courts starting at noon.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
