MP tennis wins three in a row

MARYSVILLE The Tomahawks' number three doubles team of Juliana Albano and Kayla Mullen held off an Arlington sweep of the doubles to help secure M-P a 4-3 win.

The win over Arlington was M-P's third in a row, giving the Tomahawks a winning record after opening the season with losses against conference powerhouses Snohomish and Stanwood. They rebounded in back-to-back games against Everett and Lake Stevens March 19 and 20, by marks of 4-3.

Marysville's number one singles player Ashley Bartlett struggled in her match against Arlington's powerhouse player Ivana Krommelova, but the rest of Bartlett's teammates took their wins in two sets. Jodie Anderson defeated Colleen McElroy 6-1, 6-2 at second singles, Lianne Falenski defeated Kaitlyn Scott 6-3, 6-3 at third singles, and Taylor Olsen defeated Emery Zednick 6-1, 6-1 at fourth.

Though both Anderson and Olsen are new to singles play this season, M-P coach Nathan McClellan said they have played well in the first third of the season.

"Jodie Anderson is our number two singles this year and she came from playing doubles. She's been pulling her weight and playing really well," McClellan said. He added, "Taylor Olson at number four singles, that's new for her also. She's hasn't won everything she's played, but she's made a difference for us in the long run. She's been effective as far as putting the pressure on the other team. It helps with the rest of our lineup."

M-P had a close fight at number one doubles, where April Bobadilla and Kelsey Brubaker played tiebreaker sets against Bridgette Burkholder and Morgan Galusha. Ultimately, the Arlington duo defeated the Tomahawks 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).

The Tomahawks swept the three exhibition matches, and McClellan credited his players outside of the top 10 for motivating the varsity squad to keep playing their best.

"Our lineups can change at any time. If one player is playing better than another, I might have them challenge each other," McClellan said, adding that the pressure can help inspire players to play better, smarter games.

With another win, the Tomahawks match their total victories for last season.

"I have a lot of returners this year, and so this isn't new to anybody, they're all capable of playing at this level," the coach said. "Overall, I'm happy with where we're at, and hopefully we can keep that going this year."

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.