Tennis is in Katelyn Overland’s blood, yet the Kentridge High freshman had never been much of a fan of the sport. That is, of course, until recently.
Inspired by older brother Matt Overland, one of the best players to ever come out of Kentridge, Katelyn went on and delivered a near carbon copy of her sibling last week during the South Puget Sound League tournament at Kent-Meridian High. Overland brought home a golden finish in the singles bracket, knocking off Bethel’s Shelby Sewright 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match to grab the title.
“I’ve really hated tennis my whole life. My whole family was into it, but I just hated it,” said Overland, who won four matches in the two-day tournament. “Now, I think it’s the best sport in the world.”
All it took was a day a little less than a year ago when the younger Overland decided to watch her older brother.
“I went to one of his tournaments and thought, ‘Wow, he’s really good,” Katelyn said of her older brother, who is now playing at Seattle University and was among the state’s best while a Charger. “I thought after watching him that I could be that good, too. He really inspired me.”
Indeed he did. That inspiration not only helped Katelyn bring home a singles crown, but also proved to be the key to helping Kentridge win the overall team title. The Chargers grabbed the team title with 37 points, well ahead of second-place Kentwood (25) and third-place Auburn (24). Kentridge, which finished in a two-way tie with Kentwood for the top spot in the SPSL during the regular season, now will send five players to the West Central District tournament, which will be held at Spanaway’s Sprinker Recreation Center on May 19-20.
Kentridge coach Jennifer McIntosh could not have been more pleased with her young pupil.
“She worked her way to the top,” McIntosh said. “She’s got some good strokes and form. She has instincts, is smart and sees openings on the court. Katelyn is one of those few players who goes out on the court and is getting better with every match.”
Joining Overland from Kentridge will be doubles team Kyana Esber and Alissa Lee along with tandem Tracy Tran and Katie Ly. Esber and Lee grabbed a third-place finish while Tran and Ly took fourth.
The top 10 finishers in both the singles and doubles competition earned a berth to the district tournament. The top eight finishers at the district tournament advance to state.
Kentwood also enjoyed a solid showing, pushing five players on to the district tournament: Tess Manthou and Eliana Spero (doubles), Rachel Venn (singles) along with Maddie Belmondo and Andrea Hatfield (doubles). Manthou and Spero fell to Tahoma’s Maddie Turek and Sierra Southworth in the championship match, 6-1, 6-4.
“They have amazing hands and are amazingly athletic,” Kentwood coach Ingrid Baake said of Southworth and Turek.
Southworth and Turek were the lone Tahoma players to earn a berth to the district tournament.
Kentlake’s Kara Ikeda, who took sixth in singles play, was the only Falcon to advance.
