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Kamiakin High School opened its doors in the fall of 1970, and since that time, no girls singles player or doubles team had won a state tennis title.
Saturday, the Braves got one of each, and the 3A team title to round out the historic day at Tri-City Court Club.
"The kids really performed well," said Kamiakin girls coach Sarah Miller, whose team also won the title in 1999. "They were district and regional champions, as well. This was no flash in the pan."
Sophomores Demie Warner and Ali Welch defeated Michele Zemplenyi and Chelsea Bailey of Mercer Island 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 for the doubles title in their first trip to state, while freshman Brittney Reed beat Ivana Krommelova of Arlington 6-1, 6-3.
Senior Caitlin Bampton added six points to the Braves' total with a fourth-place finish. After losing Friday, Bampton won four loser-out matches, including a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory over Rachel Storz of Holy Names, in her final match.
"This is so exciting for Kamiakin," said Reed, who finished the season 29-0. "I'm glad I could be a part of it. Caitlin was great, going out in the first round and then kept on going. She was awesome."
Kamiakin won the team title with 26 points, twice as many as Union and Holy Names.
Newport won the boys team title with 14 points, followed by Seattle Prep (12) and Hanford (11), which had Jake Knox finish fourth in singles.
Davis Mangham of Lakeside won his third straight singles title, beating Lance Wilhelm of Peninsula 6-2, 6-1. Mangham, who is headed to Harvard in the fall, finished his high school career on a 61-match win streak.
"It feels really good," Mangham said of winning his third gold medal. "With the pressure, it's not always your best tennis, but some finals are like that."
Mangham earned a date in the finals after holding off Nick Kamisar of Skyline, 7-6 (7), 6-0.
The girls singles title match featured two undefeated players -- Reed at 28-0 and Krommelova at 24-0. Krommelova, a Slovakian exchange student who had only dropped three games all year until state, took her first loss in stride.
"I knew it was going to happen sometime," she said. "She played really well and didn't make any mistakes. I did and that's why I lost. She hit really hard and her serve was very good."
Reed, who outlasted Christina Le of Union 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals, kept Krommelova on the run, which played to her favor.
"I had to weather the storm, she was very good," Reed said. "I knew she could hit with me all day, so I had to step into her serve and I kept mixing up the pace."
Reed won the first set holding serve and breaking Krommelova three times. In the second set, Krommelova led 2-1 before Reed reeled off four straight games for a 5-2 lead.
Reed served for the match, going to deuce four times before closing things out.
Warner and Welch pulled off an 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset of last year's runner-up team of Christine Wang and Maria Homnick of Columbia River in the semifinals to meet up with the Mercer Island duo.
Despite losing the second set, Warner and Welch said they felt they had the upper hand because the Mercer Island team was bickering during the match.
"We knew Chelsea was yelling at her partner and when you can make the other team fall apart, that's good," Welch said.
"When we won the first set 6-2, we knew we could do it and our coach told us we could do it," Warner added.
In the third, Mercer Island double-faulted twice to hand Kamiakin two games, and Zemplenyi put the last shot of the match into the net while trailing 30-40 and holding serve.
Mark Shkrebtan and Michael Schaeffer of Sammamish won the boys doubles title with a 6-4, 7-6 (8) victory over Matt Ellis and Max Franklin of Mercer Island.
The Kamiakin boys doubles team of Anh-Vu Thai and Peter Brown finished sixth, while the Braves' Josh Thornton lost to Knox 6-2, 6-2 in the consolation semifinals.
2A boys
SEATTLE Othellos T.D. Peterson and Sam Harris finished third in doubles, beating Josiah Jackson and Aaron Porter of Ellensburg 6-0, 6-1.
The Othello pair lost a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 semifinal match to the eventual state runner-up team of Cody Alliston and Devin Teske of Selah.
1A girls
YAKIMA Justine Gallacci of Wahluke finished third in singles after Johanna Zimbleman of Columbia (White Salmon) defaulted the placing match.
4A boys Team scores 1. Bellarmine Prep 16, 2. Kentridge 13, 3. Edmonds-Woodway 12, 9. Richland 6.
Singles Consolation semifinals Brian McPhee, Bellarmine d. Troy Zuroske, Richland, 6-2, 6-3.
3A Boys Team scores 1. Newport (Bellevue) 14, 2. Seattle Prep, 12, 3. Hanford 11, 7. Kamiakin 9.
Singles
Championship Davis Mangham, Lakeside d. Lance Wilhelm, Peninsula, 6-2, 6-1. Third/Fifth Frederick Walsh, Newport d. Nick Kamisar, Skyline, 6-3, 6-2. Fourth/Sixth Jake Knox, Hanford d. Shuhel Matsuya, Seattle Prep, 6-2, 6-1.
Consolation semifinals Shuhel Matsuya, Seattle Prep d. Curtis Lan, Hanford, 6-1, 6-4; Jake Knox, Hanford d. Josh Thornton, Kamiakin, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles
Championship Mark Shkrebtan-Michael Schaeffer, Sammamish d. Matt Ellis-Max Franklin, Mercer Island, 6-4, 7-6 (8). Third/Fifth Matt Huynh-David Schuster, North Thurston d. Steven Miyauchi- Zach Chen, Newport, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Fourth/Sixth Brian Jenkins-Charles Quay, Seattle Prep d. Anh-Vu Thai-Peter Brown, Kamiakin, 6-2, 6-4. Consolation semifinals Anh-Vu Thai-Peter Brown, Kamiakin d. Mark Ishimitsu ⁄ Trevor Takami, Hazen, 6-1, 6-2.
3A Girls Team scores 1. Kamiakin 26, 2. Union 13, Holy Names 13, 13. Kennewick 2.
Singles
Championship Brittney Reed, Kamiakin d. Ivana Krommelova, Arlington, 6-1, 6-3. Third/Fifth Christina Le, Union d. Natalie Allen, Holy Names, 6-1, 6-4. Fourth/Sixth Caitlin Bampton, Kamiakin d. Rachel Storz, Holy Names, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2).
Semifinals Brittney Reed, Kamiakin d. Christina Le, Union, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Consolation semifinals Caitlin Bampton, Kamiakin d. Maggie Becker, White River, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles
Championship Demie Warner-Ali Welch, Kamiakin d. Michele Zemplenyi-Chelsea Bailey, Mercer Island, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Third/Fifth Christine Wang-Maria Homnick, Columbia River d. Molly Mayer-Rebecca Chesnut, 6-3, 6-3. Fourth/Sixth Catherine Phelps-Catherine Fitch, Lakeside d. Megan Carter-Helen Tam, Union, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Semifinals Demie Warner-Ali Welch, Kamiakin d. Christine Wang-Maria Homnick, Columbia River, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.
2A boys Team scores 1. Clarkston 23, 2. Sehome 12, 2. WF West 12, 7. Othello 8, 14. Grandview 2.
Doubles Semifinals Cody Alliston-Devin Teske, Selah d. T.D. Peterson-Sam Harris, Othello, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Third/Fifth match T.D. Peterson-Sam Harris, Othello d. Josiah Jackson-Aaron Porter, Ellensburg, 6-0, 6-1.
1A Girls
Team scores 1. Freeman 14, 2. Annie Wright 10, 3. Bush 9, Cascade 9, Overlake 9, 6. Wahluke 8, 10. Connell 6, 17. Royal 2.
Singles Semifinals Sasha Carter, Annie Wright d. Justine Gallacci, Wahluke, 6-1, 6-3. Third/Fifth match Justine Gallacci, Wahluke won by default over Johanna Zimbleman, Columbia (White Salmon).
Doubles Consolation semifinal Devon Courtois-Alex Worthen, Cashmere d. Nicole McCary-Alexa Easterday, Connell, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
* Annie Fowler: 582-1574; afowler@tricityherald.com
