Kaiser Sending Trio To State Tennis Tourney

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The Kaiser boys tennis team will be well-represented at the May 9-12 Hawaii State Tennis Championships on Maui with three players already qualified during the OIA East season.

The Cougars’ doubles team of Jesse Smothermon and Rei Yoshimine enter the tourney as East champions. They were matched together at mid-season, said long-time coach Kristie Yamamoto.

“They work very well together,” she said. “They’re able to communicate with each other better than most (doubles teams). They’re able to work through things. They’re both only sophomores, so we’re hoping that they benefit a lot from playing in a state tournament.”

Tanden Hayes also qualified for states in the singles division.

“He hadn’t played for a couple of months when he joined us, but he works really hard and he played some of his best tennis of the year in the East tournament,” Yamamoto said. “Timing-wise, it’s going to be good for him.”

Pairings for the tournament, which runs May 9-12 were to be released this week.