MI girls, boys champs at 3A state tennis tournament

The Islanders boys edged Bellevue 25-24 for their fifth-straight team title, while the girls finished 14 points better than runners-up Holy Names Academy and Lakeside to win their seventh straight.

For the fifth-consecutive year, Mercer Island’s girls and boys tennis teams took home state titles at the 3A state tennis tournament, which took place May 29-30 in Kennewick.

The Islander boys edged Bellevue 25-24 for their fifth-straight team title, while the girls finished 14 points better than runners-up Holy Names Academy and Lakeside to win their seventh straight.

In their final prep tournament appearance, Gabby and Lydia Venditti won their third-straight state doubles title, defeating teammates Caroline Hamilton and Sammy Sweet 6-1, 6-1 in the final for a one-two Islander finish. Grace Bethards placed sixth in singles competition, while Sarah Sweet fell in three sets to seventh-place finisher Misa Takami of Hazen. Holy Names’ Catherine Allen won the 3A girls singles title.

For the boys, Brian Hou placed third in singles, defeating Theo McDonald 6-3, 6-4. Garfield’s Oscar Burney won the boys singles title over Bellevue’s Zach Fleischman 6-0, 6-1.

The Islanders finished in second and third place in their doubles bracket. Bellevue’s Hunter Eggers and Daniel Foster beat Ben Elliot and Charlie Williams in the doubles final 6-4, 6-4. Peter Williams and Cameron Coe placed third, defeating Bainbridge Island’s Eli Wagner and Ben DeVries 6-1, 6-2.