She’s young, talented, and state-bound

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She’s young, talented, and state-bound

May 17, 2024 by David Svien

Tenley Stuurmans enjoys her day. (Photo courtesy Scott Stuurmans)

Tenley Stuurmans doesn’t believe in wasting time.

The Coupeville 8th grader hasn’t attended a day of high school yet, and still hasn’t played a home tennis match, but she’s off to the state tennis tournament just the same.

Sweeping three matches at the District 1/2 tourney Friday at the Amy Yee Tennis Center in Seattle, Stuurmans claimed the singles crown and punched her ticket to the big dance.

Now, like Cousin Payton Aparicio before her, she’ll make the long trek to Eastern Washington for the 2B/1B state championships.

They go down May 24-25 at the Yakima Tennis Club, and it’ll be a busy couple of days for the Stuurmans clan, as Tenley’s older sister, Lyla, a CHS junior, competes at the state track and field meet in the same town.

Coupeville, which has played its entire season on the road as mediocre spring weather slowed work on new courts, sent five girls to districts, and won four of six contests.

Wolf senior Skylar Parker teamed with younger sister Brynn at first doubles, splitting a pair of matches.

The siblings smoked a duo from Puget Sound Adventist Academy 6-2, 6-0, before falling 6-0, 6-1 to Northwest 2B/1B League rivals Kira Clark and Megan Mellinger of Friday Harbor.

Two of three Parker sisters — Skylar (left) and Brynn (right) — teamed up Friday at districts. (Photo courtesy Corinn Parker)

The other CHS doubles team in action — Sophia Phay and Kauri Hamilton — put up a strong battle before being knocked out 6-2, 6-0 by a tandem from Summit Atlas.

“The girls did great; fought their hearts out!” said Coupeville assistant coach Starla Seal.

For Stuurmans, the first 8th grader to play tennis for CHS since the school returned to being a 2B institution in 2020, Friday was her crowning achievement.

So far.

Despite not being a high schooler until this coming fall, Stuurmans made the jump to playing above her age group in two of three sports this school year.

After playing middle school volleyball, she played both high school and middle school basketball this past winter, taking the court with the JV high school squad.

The net program, with only eight players on the roster, offered a chance to play varsity all season, and Stuurmans has excelled in both singles and doubles.

Friday, she opened against Izabelle Maia of Puget Sound, and rolled her 6-0, 6-1.

After that came a 6-0, 6-3 win over Nikki Cole of Friday Harbor, which clinched her trip to state, and then a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Kendall Lee of La Conner, who will join her in Yakima.

It made for a long day, but Stuurmans, who was coming off a three-hour slugfest in one match at the end of the regular season, was up for it.

“She’s a fighter and a natural athlete,” Seal said. “Those two combined are a recipe for some good tennis.”