Eatonville’s Andersen, Bickford & Meyer Earn State Tennis Berths with Gritty District Performances

The Eatonville Cruisers girls tennis team is sending two entries to the WIAA 1A State Tournament after a gutsy showing at the District III Tournament this past week, with senior Bailey Andersen in singles and the doubles team of seniors Lillian Bickford and Alayna Meyer each punching their tickets to state with third-place finishes.

Eatonville High School's state tennis qualifiers pose with Head Coach Alex Christensen while at the district tournament. Photo: Melissa Bickford

Andersen, the No. 2 seed from the South Puget Sound League (SPSL), bounced back from an early loss to string together three straight victories, including a revenge win over a top-seeded rival from Steilacoom. Her path to state began with a first-round bye but quickly turned uphill as she fell to North Kitsap’s No. 2 player, 5-7, 2-6. That loss sent her to the consolation bracket, where she faced elimination in every match that followed.

She responded with poise and power.

First, Andersen defeated Foss’s top player, 6-2, 6-4, to secure a spot in Saturday’s action. In the morning, she wasted no time against Sequim’s No. 1, rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 win to set up a high-stakes rematch with Steilacoom’s No. 1 seed. The two had battled in a grueling three-hour league championship the week prior, a match Andersen narrowly lost.

This time, the result wasn’t close.

Andersen dismantled the SPSL champion 6-1, 6-2 to clinch her berth to state. She was later awarded third place after her final opponent withdrew due to illness.

Meanwhile, the doubles team of Bickford and Meyer, seeded fourth from the SPSL, carved out a dramatic run of their own. The duo opened the tournament with a commanding 6-0, 6-2 win over Kingston before falling to eventual district champions Bainbridge in the quarterfinals. That loss sent them into the consolation bracket, where their next challenge was bittersweet: a matchup with Eatonville’s own No. 2 team of Tia Schanbeck and Tierney Amaral.

Amaral and Schanbeck had dropped their opening match to Olympic in two close sets (3-6, 5-7). Bickford and Meyer advanced past their teammates in a tight 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 contest, then carried that momentum into Saturday.

On the second day of the tournament, the Eatonville pair edged out North Mason’s No. 3 team, 6-3, 6-4, before grinding out a three-set win over North Mason’s No. 2 duo, 6-1, 3-6, 10-7. They clinched their state berth and third place overall with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Fife’s No. 2 team.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the tournament came late Saturday, when Andersen secured her trip to state less than a minute after Bickford and Meyer sealed theirs. From opposite sides of the tennis center, the Eatonville teammates celebrated together—state-bound, united, and victorious.

“I am just really proud of how all the girls played this week,” Head Coach Alex Christensen said. “This district is the home of so many great players and teams. We had to level up this week and we did.”

The WIAA 2A Girls State Tennis Tournament will be held May 23-24 at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle.

With two entries heading to the biggest stage in high school tennis, the Cruisers are ready to keep proving they belong.