NAWILIWILI — The Island School tennis teams took all of the girls matches and had a 3-2 edge on the boys’ courts Saturday when the Kauai Interscholastic Federation opened its tennis season at the Kauai Lagoons tennis courts. “With several
NAWILIWILI — The Island School tennis teams took all of the girls matches and had a 3-2 edge on the boys’ courts Saturday when the Kauai Interscholastic Federation opened its tennis season at the Kauai Lagoons tennis courts.
“With several players off-island on various Mainland trips, Kauai had a difficult time,” said Charles Fulks, the Kauai coach. “We had to default all of the girls matches and play exhibition doubles matches.”
Fulks said the Red Raiders also were short players on the boys’ courts.
“We were able to compete, but had to default the third doubles match,” he said.
Kauai’s victories came on the boys’ court when Mitchell Evans beat Island School’s Ian Cowden, 6-1, 6-1.
The Raiders’ second victory came on the doubles court when the duo of Akira Takabayashi and Holden Hallady handled the Voyager pair of Sam Goldberg and James Papa, 6-1, 6-4.
The Voyagers claimed the boys first singles when Davis Huffman defeated Braden Myrick, 6-3, 6-0.
On the doubles court, the Voyagers’ Zeb Wichert and Eli Leech Kitchman took three sets to get past Raiders Ethan Combs and Charles Butay, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
During the exhibition girls’ matches, Kauai finished with a 3-2 showing when the pair of Kaylin Kukino and Madison Rayno downed Voyagers Whitney Summerhays and Ajai Scalafari, 6-2, 6-3.
Manna Graziano and Helena Huffman took a tiebreaker to get past Island School’s Genevieve Foster and Mabel Kha, 3-6, 7-6(3), and 10-5 (tiebreak).
Mie Miller, whose parents were watching from the knoll, teamed with Rachel Marshall but fell to Island School’s Alex Obert and Katie Davidson, 0-6, 0-6.
Kauai’s Dareen Dameg teamed with Mari Kanna, but fell to Island School’s Julie Randolph Flagg, 2-6, 4-6.
Kauai wrapped up with a “Popcorn Match,” described as a current version of Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King.
In that match, Myrick teamed with Evans to defeat the duo of Michaela Fitzgerald and Mia Fitzgerald, 6-4, 6-4.
“There was great, hard-hitting shot making from both teams,” Fulks said.
Kauai next hosts Waimea on Saturday at the Kauai Lagoons court starting at 10 a.m. Island School will host Kapaa at the Kauai Community College tennis courts starting at 1 p.m. (Saturday is a SAT testing date).
No scores were available from the Kapaa and Waimea high school matches at press time.
