The 29th Tri-City Invite will begin 3 p.m. Friday and feature 16 area and Northwest teams swinging, lobbing and smashing their way towards the championships starting around 1 p.m. Saturday.
Kamiakin, Kennewick, Southridge, Pasco, Walla Walla, Richland, Borah, Capital (Boise), Lewiston, Lake City, Central Valley, Ferris and Mead will be joined for the first time by the Lewis & Clark girls team in the annual event.
Richland is the defending champion, and first-year coach Felix Quinn said that senior Chris Shallman is expected to be partnered with senior Brian Chou in the No. 1 boys doubles competition scheduled to take place at Kennewick High.
The Tri-City Invite will be interesting, Quinn said. Capital from Boise will be there, and theyre always strong.
Southridge holds the Nos. 1 and 2 girls singles; Kamiakin will hold the Nos. 1 and 2 boys singles; and the girls doubles will be at Pasco.
All No. 3 singles events will be at Richland, and Hanford will hold the mixed doubles.
-- Richland assistant coach Kasey Knox said that seniors Sarah Vukelich and Laurel Thompson and junior Sydney Dautel are some of the players on the rise in the Bombers girls program and that the Invite will offer an opportunity to switch things around.
Vukelich usually plays doubles, and shell play singles in the Invite this weekend, Knox said. Dautel normally played doubles all last year and Im having her play singles this year, doubles (today) and singles this weekend; and Laurel is our No. 1 singles player and shes playing singles tomorrow and mixed doubles this weekend.
Knox a product of the Hanford program (2004 state champion in 3A) added that shes keen to see how the Bombers fare against her alma mater.
Im looking forward to playing Hanford, because thats my home team and because I played there, Knox said, noting that her brother, senior Jake Knox, plays No. 1 singles for the Falcons. But I root for my team now.
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