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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Depth helped Mililani dominate

Advertiser Staff

Mililani's girls tennis team won the OIA Team title in impressive fashion. Front row: Adrienne Hamada, Rachel Mizuno, Melissa Monette. Second row: Rennie Iwasa, Alyssa Shimizu, Krystle Kiyuna, Erica Kunihisa, Megan Yoshimoto, Marissa Arakaki. Top row: Assistant coach Jon Perron, Jessica Kaneshiro, Lokelani Paia, Erin Yamamoto, assistant Myles Mizuno, head coach Mae Ann Beamer.

Photo courtesy Garrett Yoshimoto

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With an imposing depth that runs from first singles to third doubles and beyond, the Mililani girls blasted to the OIA Team Tennis Championship April 8 at Brigham Young-Hawai'i. The Trojans won all 51 of their individual matches in the season.

"It's been amazing," said coach Mae Ann Beamer. "They've gone undefeated and maybe lost just one or two sets."

Beamer's Mililani teams won state titles in 1997 and '99 behind Erin Hoe's singles' championships. Beamer characterizes this team as more balanced. Depth is so great she held a playoff to decide what doubles team would play the final spot in the OIA final against Pearl City, and the two Mililani teams needed a third set to determine a winner.

All three Trojan seniors play doubles, with Lokelani Paia at No. 1, captain Erin Yamamoto at No. 2 and Jessica Kaneshiro at No. 3. First singles is Megan Yoshimoto, with freshman Adrienne Hamada at No. 2; Hamada also went undefeated in junior varsity singles earlier to lead that team to an unbeaten title.

The Carlsmith Ball State High School Championship will be May 9 to 12 at Wailea and Makena. Punahou has won the past four girls' titles.

"Anything is possible," Beamer said. "We look at one match at a time, one school at a time and give it our best. It we win, great. We move on to the next. That's why the girls practice so hard."