3 advance to district tennis play

Stanwood's No. 1 singles player, Megan LaLone, and the doubles team of Kallen Shaughnessy and Anne Hamiter all advanced to this week's district girls' tennis tournament by finishing second during last week's Western Conference North Division tennis tourney.

LaLone easily swept aside her first three opponents in the tournament before falling to her nemesis, Lake Stevens' foreign exchange student Antonia Liebenow, in the finals. The Lady Spartan freshman, who defeated everyone but Liebenow during the regular season's round robin, made it much closer this time as she was edged 6-2, 7-6 by the Viking senior.

Snohomish's Katie Melnyk and Melanie Bjornethun needed a tiebreaker as well in order to win the conference championship over Shaughnessy and Hamiter, two excellent singles players, who joined to create a potent duo, especially for post-season play.

Also representing Stanwood High during the divisionals were the doubles team of sophomore Kara Dyer and senior Leah Titus as well as singles player Marina Messerli, a sophomore, but each lost in the first round of play.

Specific times and dates for district tennis play involving Stanwood players can be obtained by calling the SHS athletic department at 629-1322.