Meghal Sheth and Hannah Giannan teamed up on the tennis court for the first time.
With the way the Camas High School senior and sophomore covered the net and the backline, it seemed like a natural pairing. Their doubles victory helped the Papermakers beat Union 4-2. Jen Lewis, Esther Kwon and Samantha Merrill won their singles matches for Camas.
Although she had only played on her own for the first month of the season, it didn’t take Giannan long to settle into a groove with Sheth. It all started on the first ball. Giannan served it and Sheth returned the volley into open space for a quick point.
“It was a good way to get it started,” Giannan said. “We just kept rolling from there.”
Before the two Papermakers knew it, they had clinched the first set 6-0. The second set proved to be more challenging, but the Camas players never lost control of it and won 7-5.
“That second set can be the toughest. They definitely started playing better,” Sheth said. “We just had to get back to what was working for us, and force them to make errors.”
Kwon (6-0, 6-0) and Merrill (6-1, 6-1) claimed easy victories at second and third singles. Lewis sealed the deal at first singles by winning a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.
“Every game was close,” Lewis said. “Just keeping it consistent and getting a point here and there made the difference.”
Lewis trailed the tiebreaker by two points, but she regained her footing by winning vollies and serving aces.
“Those high pressure situations, that’s what I love,” Lewis said.
Winning the first set gave her confidence, but she knew the match wasn’t over yet. Lewis gained a 5-2 advantage in the third set, but her opponent rallied and forced a 5-5 tie. Lewis won the last two games to avoid having to play a third set.
“There was lots of pressure, but there was also a team behind me to back me up,” Lewis said. “A lot of the girls were cheering and making me smile. That got me through another high pressure situation.”
Camas hosts Heritage today and goes to Battle Ground Friday. The Papermakers wrap up league at Union Friday, May 8.
