COUGARS CROWNED

The Chewelah girls tennis team brought home a state title Saturday, May 23, winning the State 1B/2B team championship at the Yakima Tennis Club. The Cougars were led by a runner-up finish from Simi Sahota in singles and a fourth-place finish from the doubles team of Cora Grooms and Emily Howder. “This was a goal before the sea- son even started, and we achieved it,” an ecstatic Cougar head coach, Denise Smith, said. “I have been so fortunate to have the Sahota sisters playing singles and setting such high standards along with the other players and families who have given so much to put Chewelah tennis on the map. “ It wasn’t easy, either. “Emily had to limp, and Simi had to be carried to the trophy presentation, but the girls gave it everything they had to bring the biggest trophy back to Chewelah,” Smith said. Even though we come from a little tiny town in Northeast Washing- ton, we are looked up to as the team to beat at State.” Simi Sahota reached the state championship match after years of finishing second behind her old- er sister, Avi. She won her first two matches decisively, using her usual low, deep corner shots, before facing Anika Love of Forest Ridge in the final. Sahota battled in hot conditions but fell in a close first-set tiebreaker and lost the second set 6-3 to finish second again. 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. “Overall it was a tough tournament for me mentally because I had a lot of pressure on me because the expectations were high, but I was feeling confident the first day of State,” Sahota said. “I didn’t play too hard, just easy enough to win my first two matches.” Sahota advanced to the championship with two straight-set wins, including a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Kayden Koth of Manson. In the final, she battled through 85-degree heat but fell in a close first-set tiebreaker and lost the second set 6-3 after finding her rhythm too late. “When it came to the final, I was feeling quite a lot of pressure of trying to follow my sister’s path of being state champion and the only thing that was going through my mind was the thought that ‘I need to win state and bring home a medal.’” Sahota said. “I became mentally exhausted and didn’t know what to do. Since I had the fear of losing and disappointing everyone, I couldn’t play my natural game and didn’t hit any good shots. I’ve beaten many players better than my opponent in the final and I could have won that match but I was feeling under pressure. Unfortunately, I started cramping during the match but it wasn’t too bad until the last couple of points.” Sahota added she made a serve and when she landed on her foot, she felt a big cramp in her left calf in the form of unbearable pain. “I couldn’t walk and had to take a medical timeout but was forced by the ref to finish the match,” Sahota said. “I had two points left and couldn’t move at all. In the end, I lost the final match and felt like I let everybody down. Going into the state tournament, I wasn’t excited at all because my sister wasn’t playing with me. Overall, this was a learning experience, and I hope to improve my skills and earn my first-place medal next year.” Smith wrote that even though Sahota lost the championship, she earned a second-place medal and was the talk of the tournament with her tough play and high standards. She also single-handedly sent one entry from the three other schools that had two entries in the tournament to the loser’s bracket. This kept the other team’s points to a minimum and allowed Chewelah to win the state title. Cora Grooms and Emily Howder earned fourth-place medals and eight team points after reaching state doubles competition. The Chewelah duo opened with a 6-2, 6-3 loss to a strong Manson team, then rebounded with a relaxed but focused 6-0, 6-1 win over Coupeville. The next day, they faced Okanogan in a key match with a medal-round berth on the line. Grooms and Howder played some of their best tennis to win their opening match of the day, taking the first set 6-4 and rallying from behind to win the second-set tiebreaker 7-5. They later faced Newport’s Emmalee Doughty and Marissa Dahl for the fourth time that season, but emotional fatigue from the earlier match caught up with them in a 6-2, 6-3 loss. “I never saw them dig so deep emotionally and physically,” Chewelah Assistant Coach Lindsay Baxter said. “Even when a game became very tight or the set became very tight, they continued fighting to ultimately prevail.” Emily Howder said that state was a lot of fun and she wishes the duo could play next year. Grooms has similair opinions. “Our match against Okanogan was the best,” Grooms said. “They were great competitors and people. Emily and I had so much fun testing our new skills and seeing what worked for us. I had a great time in general from playing in the matches to hanging out with my team and friends after our matches.” Assistant Coach Kris Grooms added she was impressed with the tenaciousness of the girls and the love they showed each other. “It was a team effort to earn the team trophy and they left it all on the court,” Grooms said. Chewelah’s fourth state title in five years and sets a school record across all sports. The Cougars finished with 18 points, ahead of Manson with 13, Forest Ridge with 11, and Liberty Bell with 10.