Auburn Riverside’s regular season and postseason success was no accident. It was the product of months of hard work under Head Coach Tyler Parsons. At the 4A West Central District boys’ tennis tournament in Kent, the Ravens faced some of the top programs in the region. Auburn Riverside held their own, leaving with a doubles championship and a second-place team finish.
“We ended up coming in with a plan and executed what we were looking to do. Kids ended up playing to the best of their ability and played with lots of integrity and got themselves in spots that ended up showing the success throughout the season,” Parsons said.
After winning the 4A NPSL boys’ double championship, the Ravens duo of sophomore Evan Ly and junior Xinyi Yang cruised through the district bracket.
“They were unconscious during the whole tournament,” Parsons said. “They just really took care of business and focused in from the first point to the last point. It was really impressive, and I’m really proud as a coach.”
Dropping only four total games on their way to the championship match, Yang said he and Ly knew they couldn’t get ahead of themselves.
“I felt that we had to stay humble. We couldn’t get too excited because I’ve seen people get too confident. It just collapses, right? So, I just try to stay confident, stay collected, and just really focus on winning,” Yang said.
Auburn Riverside’s Xinyi Yang (left) and Evan Ly (right) take a set break.
In the championship, Ly and Yang played against the SPSL’s top-seeded team, Puyallup’s Isaac Devereau and Cooper Johnson. The Vikings hadn’t lost a set all tournament, but after a slow start, the Ravens took control, defeating the Puyallup pairing 6-3, 6-1.
“We just had to stick to our game plan that we had. We were watching them play right before us. So, then we were able to plan some stuff out,” Ly said.
For Ly and Yang, this district title was more than just another win. It was redemption. Last spring, the pair finished fifth at districts and narrowly missed medaling at state. That finish has fueled them ever since.
“I would say it’s been pushing me a lot. Our finish last year has been stuck in our minds for so long. It’s just been helping me try to get better faster,” Ly said.
It’s not just Ly and Yang who have found success. In his four seasons with Auburn Riverside, Coach Parsons has only lost one match and has an overall record of 49-1 in league matches. Parsons said the key to his team’s success is focus and humility, and he wants Ly and Yang to carry that same mindset into the offseason.
“It’s always sticking to their game and playing their game. They are very good tennis players, and they shouldn’t switch for other tennis players. They need to play their game and make sure that they are attacking and playing to their level of tennis,” Parsons said.
The Ravens’ top doubles team now prepares for a state tournament that’s still seven months away. It may sound like a long time, but Parsons sees it as the perfect opportunity.
“We get 20 practices before the tournament begins. So, we’re going to utilize those times to try and make sure we can get practices in,” Parsons said. “Then they can take advantage of using indoor courts and hitting with tennis pros and trying to balance. That is always the fun part.”
In other area results, Auburn High School’s doubles team of Solomon Smith and David Schuler beat Auburn Riverside’s Caleb Choi and Albert Yang 6-4, 6-6 (7-9), (10-8). The win clinched seventh place for Smith and Schuler and earned them first alternate for state.
The WIAA 4A boys’ tennis state tournament begins May 22 at Kamiakin High School and The Pacific Clinic in Kennewick.
