MHS is first MISO tennis champion

Marianas High School overcame a slow start to clinch the inaugural Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization co-ed high school tennis crown last Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

The Marianas High School Dolphins’ coed tennis team celebrates with coaches Jim, left, and Mihoko Tuttle after winning the inaugural Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization tennis tournament. (Jon Perez)

It was MHS’ fourth straight title in the 2014-2015 MISO season after also ruling girls volleyball and boys and girls basketball.

MHS dropped its first two singles matches against Saipan International School by default but managed to hang on before escaping with a 5-4 decision.

The Dolphins and the Geckos played three matches each in the boys and girls singles, one game apiece in the boys and girls doubles, and one in mixed doubles.

SIS’ Colin Ramsey and Julia Ishikawa gave the Geckos an early 2-0 lead after winning by walkovers against Tommy Choi and Negahr Rastguiy, who both skipped the opening singles matches.

The Geckos were a win away when they went up 4-2 after Luther Lizama and Michael Ren scored similar 6-1 decisions in the boys singles over Steven Lee and Brandon Masga, respectively.

Mika Lopez and Emily Jones kept the Dolphins in the contest by pulling off wins over Isabel Heras (6-1) and Adele Hudkins (6-2), respectively.

SIS, however, squandered their advantage and allowed the Dolphins to win the last three matches in the doubles events.

Masga and Lee teamed up in the boys doubles in pulling off a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Ren and Chris Park, while Rastguiy and Jones scored a 6-1 demolition over Ishikawa and Hudkins to tie the count at 4-4.

Choi and Lopez then took advantage of a number of unforced errors by the Geckos’ Heras and Lizama for a 6-1 decision that completed the Dolphins’ comeback.

It was a double black eye for SIS as it also suffered a 7-2 setback against Saipan Community School in the junior high division. SCS swept the matches in the boys singles and all doubles events.

Vincent Tudela overpowered A.J. Hudkins, 6-1; Ken Song needed a tiebreak in beating Clayton Izuka, 7-6 (6); while Haruya Eda blanked Daniele Colombo, 6-0. Carol Lee won in the girls singles scoring a 6-0 crushing of Tania Tan.

It made up for Mimi Sakano and Conatsu Kaga losing their respective girls singles matches against Malika Miyawaki, 2-6, and Ami Tsukagoshi, 3-6.

Tudela and Song blitzed past Hudkins and Michael Lee, 6-0, in the boys doubles; Sakano teamed up with Kaga to beat Tsukogoshi and Miyawaki, 6-2; while Lee and Eda tripped Tan and Izuka in the mixed doubles, 6-1.

Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Federation president Jeff Race served as the tournament coordinator for the one-day event.