Going into the final week of the 2010 regular season, Wood River High School tennis players geared up for conference and state competition April 30-May 1 with a solid team effort at the 30th annual Capital Invitational tennis tournament.
"It was a huge positive experience for us," said Wood River head coach Vicki Johnston. "Our kids saw what was out there, and all of our matches were close. I thought it was the best we've done at the Capital meet in my time coaching."
Wood River (175 points) finished 13th in the 29-school field and was the top Idaho 4A school in terms of final points. The Wolverines placed one point behind 12th-place Parma, the three-time defending State 3A champion and holder of 11 state tennis championships.
Action took place on courts at nine different sites in the Treasure Valley Friday and Saturday. Team winner was 5A Boise (302) over 5A Eagle (277).
Making Saturday's semi-finals were Wood River's #1 boys' singles player Karl Wilander, a sophomore, along with #1 mixed doubles Morgan Pike and Jessica Hamilton, and #2 boys' doubles Raleigh Grossbaum-Charlie Grabow.
Wilander won several matches and lost only to the #1 boys' singles finalists—reigning State 4A champion and this year's Capital Invitational winner Kenny Dodd of Skyview and Alex McKean of Capital. Dodd defeated McKean in split sets in the final singles match.
Playing some of their best tennis of the spring, Pike and Hamilton made it into the championship bracket with solid performances including a 6-0, 6-0 victory over a #1 mixed team from 5A Capital of Boise.
Grossbaum and Grabow won all their matches Friday to earn a spot in the championship draw, where they were beaten by the eventual winning team from Ferris, Wash. Meanwhile, Hailey's #2 mixed doubles Will Eagan and Teagen Palmer lost in the finals of the consolation bracket.
The Wolverines (8-0 dual matches, 6-0 league) carried their unbeaten dual meet record into Tuesday's three-school meet at Sun Valley Tennis Club against The Community School and Minico of Rupert.
"Senior Night" for Wood River players takes place Thursday, May 6 at 3 p.m. during the home Great Basin Conference meet against the Canyon Ridge Riverhawks.
Wood River will host the six-school GBC tournament starting Tuesday, May 11 at 9 a.m. at Sun Valley Tennis Club. The top four singles players and doubles teams from next week's two-day conference finals will qualify for the State 4A tournament May 21-22 in Boise.
The Wood River girls have won two straight conference tournament titles and Hailey is favored to sweep the boys' and girls' championships in 2010.
