Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

It hardly looked easy, but

Sequim's boys tennis team passed another big test last week in a 5-2 win against Port Angeles Sept. 29.

After rains delayed their matches on Monday, Sept. 28, the Wolves and Roughriders hit the courts on Tuesday, with three doubles matches going into tiebreakers.

Sequim emerged with a pair of singles wins and three doubles wins, nearly winning a fourth doubles match that went three sets.

Joe Puntenney, Sequim's No. 2 singles player, rebounded from a first-set loss to down Roughrider Hayden McCartney, 5-7, 6-0 and 6-0. David Richards picked up a win in No. 3 singles, stopping P.A.'s Troy Gallagher 6-2 and 6-0.

Sequim's Reed Gunstone and Michael Lee won in No. 1 doubles, beating A.J. Konopaski and Conor Reid in straight sets (6-2, 6-1).

Wolves Byron Boots and Waylon Lam had a tougher time in

No. 2 doubles, beating Roughriders Sam Beasley and Derek Crain 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) and 6-0.

Evan Hill and Kelvin Li picked up a win in No. 4 doubles.

Micah Roos had Port Angeles' single singles win, topping Mallory Maloney 6-2 and 6-0.

P.A.'s Luis Neumeir and Nels Winn won a hard-fought, three-set win versus Sequim's Andrew Gunstone and Donovan Lee, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7 and 6-3.

Sequim and Port Angeles have split four matches since 2006, when the teams renewed an old rivalry.

The Wolves showed little signs of wear and tear the next day, when they traveled to Silverdale to topple Olympic's Trojans 6-1 on Sept. 30.

Puntenney and Lam each earned singles victories.

Sequim swept all four doubles matches in straight sets, losing just eight points in the process.

Puntenney and Reed Gunstone were the only Wolves challenged in the battle with Olympic, a 3A foe. Puntenney outlasted Trojan John Frye 6-4, 7-5 while Cory Smith edged Gunstone 6-1, 6-2.

The Wolves, still perfect on the season at 8-0, were scheduled to be back in Silverdale Oct. 5 for a match versus Klahowya - results were unavailable at press time.

Sequim has three home matches to close out the regular season before the Oct. 16 Olympic League tournament.

The Wolves host Kingston Oct. 7, Port Townsend/Chimacum on Oct. 9 and North Mason on Oct. 12. Sequim already has beaten each of those teams handily, losing just one of 20 individual matches.

Sequim's last undefeated season was 2003 when the Wolves went 14-0. They have had three one-loss seasons since.



Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.