Thomas Jefferson High School sent five tennis players to state for three different events. All five of the participants placed at the state championships, setting a new school record along the way.

Alex Chan was only the fourth seed out of the West Central District in November. He finished higher in the state tournament as he earned a third place finish. It is the highest finish ever of any singles player from Jefferson.

Chan’s only loss resulted in the only set he dropped at the state tournament as well. Issaquah’s Jackson Suh handed him a 2-0 loss (6-1, 7-5) in the semifinals. Suh did not drop a set in the tournament en-route to a state championship win.

Chan defeated both the fifth and sixth place finishers during his run.

Cameron Martin and Donavon Gomez lost their first match in the doubles tournament, but responded with two wins, which guaranteed they would place in the tournament. They fell 2-0 (6-1, 6-3) in their final match, resulting in an eighth place finish.

The boys team finished third in state overall.

Rileigh Qualls and Crystal Lee were the lone competitors in the girls tournament for the Raiders. They dropped their first match 2-1 (0-6, 6-1, 6-4) to the duo that eventually finished in sixth place.

Qualls and Lee won their next three matches and dropped only one set in the process. They earned a fifth place finish in the end. The girls finished in eighth as a team.

Jefferson had eight wins total in the tournament, which is two more than any other year.

Todd Beamer’s Avery Liening was the only girls singles competitor from the area to make the state tournament. Much like the participants from Jefferson, Liening found her own success.

After dropping the first match to state runner-up, Vivian Gozman of Newport, Liening won her next two matches. She lost the final match, but still ended the tournament with an eighth place finish.