Emerald Ridge drops TJ from unbeaten ranks

Mirror staff

There are no more unbeaten tennis teams in the South Puget Sound League South Division. The Thomas Jefferson Raiders fell to 6-1 on the season with a 3-2 loss to the Emerald Ridge Jaguars Tuesday afternoon.

The loss leaves TJ and Emerald Ridge in a tie for the top spot in the South with identical 6-1 records. Decatur sits right behind at 5-1.

Tuesday’s match came down to No. 1 doubles.

“Both teams loaded their doubles with the top two players from each team,” said Jefferson coach Andrew Buchan.

And the Jaguars had the two better players on Tuesday. The Emerald Ridge pair of Rachel Owens and Alyssa Ferry beat Jefferson’s Katie Schultz and Corinna Fabre, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 1 doubles. The loss was the first for the Raider pair, who won the SPSL South doubles championship last spring. Owens won the SPSL singles championship last season and Ferry is one of the best freshman tennis players in the state.

The loss derailed Buchan’s gameplan that the coach has employed all season long — lose both singles’ matches, but win all three doubles’ matches. The Raiders have won several matches this year by a score of 3-2.

Jefferson’s two victories Tuesday came from their No. 2- and No. 3-doubles teams. Leisha Muraki and Uyen Tran won easily at No. 2, 6-1, 6-3, and Trichell Waldo and Lacey Lowber won a tight match at No. 3, 6-4, 7-5.

Jefferson’s Sarah Lee lost at No. 1 singles, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, and Claudia Miernowski lost at No. 2 in the only three-setter of the day, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.

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