PO‘IPU — Island School tennis teams swept Waimea High School, and Kapa‘a High School took just a single match win against Kaua‘i High School on Saturday when the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation inaugurated its 2023 season at the Waimea High School tennis courts and at the Po‘ipu Kai tennis courts, respectively.
The Voyager women players were 5-0 winners in girls play, with the No. 1 singles Lilah Hamid getting past Waimea’s Erich Borbos, 6-2, 6-1. Madi Welsh, the Voyagers’ No. 2 girls singles player, did not lose a game in her 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Irish Oriente.
On the girls doubles courts, the Voyagers’ No. 1 doubles team of Katie Brown and Brooklyn Mackey were 6-1, 6-2 winners over the Menehune duo of Charmaine Acoba and Camryn Gonsalves, and Maya Ventura and Nola Brown teamed to defeat Waimea’s pair of Tatiyana Tagnas-Savage and Keala Banasihan, 6-2, 6-3, in No. 2 doubles.
The Voyagers’ third doubles team of Thea Johnson and Ashley Chun won by default.
The Voyagers took another 5-0 win home when Michael Fitzgerald allowed a set to Waimea’s Rhaziak Tacub Taniguchi, 6-0, 6-1 in boys first singles. Brother Mark Fitzgerald was a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Waimea’s Swede Sandblom in second singles.
In boys doubles, Ryan So and Graydon Rosenthal were 6-0, 6-0 winners over Waimea’s Mar Ruiz and Aaron Ragus. Island School’s duo of Jacob Brossamer and Bodhi Jones defeated Waimea’s pair of Edison Medina and Nicolas Bagaoisan, 6-2, 6-1, and the Voyagers completed their sweep when the No. 3 doubles team of Ryan Biederman and Nachi Elzaurdia won by default.
Down in Po‘ipu, Kapa‘a High’s Toni Umalla spoiled the Kaua‘i High sweep, downing Parker Reed, 6-1, 6-2, in girls No. 1 singles.
Kaua‘i High rebounded from that blemish by taking the remaining matches, when Red Raider Grace Guilera defeated Lady Warrior Chloe Hannsz, 6-1, 6-2, in girls No. 2 singles.
The Red Raiders also controlled all three matches on the girls doubles floor, starting with the No. 1 pair of Savannah Hubbard and Maddison Hubbard downing Kapa‘a’s Rain Hannsz and Ocean Amador, 6-3, 6-3.
The No. 2 girls doubles belonged to Kaua‘i High when Jeanine Longboy teamed with Kate Nakamura to defeat Kapa‘a’s Wainohia Kitamura and Keahilani Bacon, 6-0, 6-2, and the No. 3 girls doubles team of Taylee Yoshimoto and Samantha Tominaga got past Kapa‘a’s Chelcie Domingo and Sage Keller, 6-1, 6-2.
In boys No. 1 singles, Kaua‘i High’s Dillon Fulks shook off opening day jitters to get past Kapa‘a’s Jayson Muramaru, 6-0, 6-1. “I don’t know how I did it,” Fulks said following his win. “I’m just glad I was able to get the win.”
In No. 2 boys singles, Kaua‘i High’s Rasil Manandhar downed Kapa‘a’s Max Wolkon, 6-2, 6-0.
In boys doubles, Kaua‘i High’s No. 1 team of Tanner Hubbard and Isaac Mirey defeated the Kapa‘a duo of Daniel Simpson and John Dumaoal, 6-3, 6-1, and the No. 2 boys doubles went to the Kaua‘i High team of Cody Torres and Nigel Agcaoili, 6-4, 7-5, over the hard-fighting Kapa‘a pair of Ian Raquel and Riker Manaku.
The boys No. 3 doubles win went to the Kaua‘i High team of Robert Bishop and Keyan Fort, who defeated Kapa‘a’s Matt Asuncion and Keola Maroney, 6-2, 6-0.
KIF tennis continues on Saturday when Kaua‘i makes the trek to the Waimea High courts and Island School travels to the Kapa‘a High courts. Matches at both sites start at 10 a.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
