By LISA BROUGHAM

The VHS girls tennis team wrapped up its season on a beautiful tennis day with the Nisqually League tournament at Charles Wright on Friday.

The team had an up-and-down season this year, plagued by bad weather and missing players. Almost half of its matches and numerous practices were rained out.

The girls started slowly and finished with a 5-6 record, but always felt when their entire team was available they could compete with any team in the league. After a long day at Charles Wright, the season-ending tournament proved their faith was well justified. The Pirates finished first and third in singles and third in doubles, a great result in what was a strong year in the Nisqually League.

Each school brought two singles and two doubles teams to the league tournament. In doubles, junior Sinath Hurd and sophomore Siena Jannetty played well but were eventually eliminated by the other VHS doubles team made up of seniors Tianna Koenig and Anya Quig. Koenig/Quig played the last match of the day and made an amazing comeback to take a third-set tiebreaker for third place in the tournament.

In singles, both Vashon players reversed losses they had to Charles Wright players during the season with convincing wins. Senior Madeline Hille played a great tournament and took third place. Sophomore Taryn Mulvihill had a strong tournament and won the singles, securing the Nisqually League title. Unfortunately, only the top two singles and doubles advance to districts, so Mulvihill will go to the district tournament later this week while Hille and Koenig/Quig are alternates.

The league tournament was a great ending to a  season marked by a good turnout and tremendous improvement from the entire team. The prospects for next year’s team look excellent, with many skilled returning players.

— Lisa Brougham is the assistant coach of the  VHS girls tennis team.