Tennis team takes to brand new courts

Blaine junior Aubrey Ortega playing on Blaine’s new tennis courts against Granite Falls on March 16. Photos by Janell Kortlever.

By Oliver Lazenby

With new courts, Blaine girls tennis teams are playing at home this season for the first time since 2016.

Last year, the tennis program opted not to play home games because the courts were in such bad shape, said head coach John Freal. He called them the worst courts in the Northwest Conference. The school resurfaced the courts in July 2017 as part of the high school addition.

“I felt that there were enough cracks and dips in the courts that the possibility for injuries was just more than I wanted,” Freal said. “The Blaine girls were used to it but the schools that we played, they didn’t know where all the cracks were.”

New courts may have sparked interest in the program; 41 girls joined the team this year – 13 more than last year.

Maria Gobbato playing against Granite Falls on March 16.

Four matches into the season, Blaine is still looking for its first team win. Sydney Feenstra is leading the team in singles wins so far.

“We are still pretty young as a team,” Freal said. “I think it’s going to take some time for players to develop and be as competitive as some of the other schools.”

Blaine is in a tough conference. Bellingham won the 2A state tournament last year and Sehome and Anacortes – both Northwest Conference teams – also finished in the top 10 at state.

Blaine plays at home at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10 against Anacortes.