Eatonville boys tennis team splits first two matches of the season

The Eatonville High School boys tennis team experienced a mixed start to their season last week, dropping their first match against Franklin Pierce on Tuesday before bouncing back with a commanding victory over Foss High School on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the Cruisers faced a tough 3-2 loss in their season opener at Franklin Pierce. Despite their experience, Eatonville struggled in doubles, managing to secure wins only in the singles matches. First singles player Brody Thirtyacre gave Eatonville its first win of the season, defeating Aries Romos in a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 match. Thirtyacre showed resilience, minimizing errors and strengthening his serve after a closely contested first set.

In the second singles match, sophomore Jacob Golding defeated Brandon Liwanag 6-2, 7-5. Golding capitalized on his opponent's unforced errors in the first set, using it to refine his approach shots and baseline play. The second set was far more competitive, but Golding’s steady play prevented a third set, securing the second win for Eatonville.

The doubles teams, however, had a tougher time. First doubles pair Nate Goode and Steven Haas, a new combination for the Cruisers, struggled to find their rhythm against Franklin Pierce’s Allen Tren and Houston Boler, losing 0-6, 1-6. Despite their individual experience, communication issues and inconsistent play plagued their performance.

The second doubles team of Carl Lucas and Dana Bazan also faced a difficult outing, falling 0-6, 3-6 to Eden Lee and Harrison Ha. Unforced errors and double faults were the main culprits in their loss. Meanwhile, sophomores Jackson Rockey and Gavin Campbell showed promise but were defeated 1-6, 5-7 by Colin Ryle and Jacob Banke in the third doubles match. After a shaky start, the duo improved in the second set but couldn’t close the gap.

Despite the loss, the Cruisers rebounded strongly in their home opener on Thursday, defeating Foss High School 4-1 to secure their first win of the season. Playing on their home courts, the team honored staff members by naming courts after them in a long-standing Eatonville tradition.

Sophomore Jacob Golding led the charge on the Travis Collins Court, defeating Eman Alegre 6-4, 6-1. Golding’s dominant serve and ability to set up winning points against the left-handed Alegre proved crucial in his win. On the Alex Christensen Court, the first doubles team of Goode and Haas turned their previous struggles around, winning 6-0, 7-6 against Riley Brunk and Jaydin Oln. The pair avoided a third set by edging out Foss in a tense second-set tiebreaker, 7-5.

The second doubles team of Carl Lucas and Dana Bazan also redeemed themselves with a decisive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Marculus Broughton and Randy Brown on the Erik Swartout Court. Lucas and Bazan’s experience shone through as they displayed stronger communication and consistency.

Rounding out Eatonville’s doubles dominance, Rockey and Campbell cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win, also on the Erik Swartout Court, taking full advantage of their experience to easily overpower their Foss opponents.

In the first singles match, Thirtyacre faced a challenging opponent in Kevin Thai on the Dr. Ian Vaughn Court. Thai’s consistency forced Thirtyacre to push himself, particularly in the second set, but Thirtyacre ultimately fell 1-6, 4-6.

With a 1-1 record, the Eatonville Cruisers are looking to build on their momentum as they head into the next week of the season.