East Oregonian
HERMISTON — The consolation bracket lived up to its name on Tuesday.
After a disappointing finish to Day 1 of the Special District 1 tennis tournament for Dain Lloyd, the Hermiston senior came out snarling in Hermiston on Tuesday, winning a pair of matches to secure fifth place in the district.
“If I had ended my career on a loss that definitely would have been more heart breaking than not going to state,” Lloyd said following his 6-4, 6-1 victory over Hood River Valley’s Scottie Ziegner. “This is at least somewhat satisfying.”
Following a letdown in the quarterfinals on Monday — a 6-3, 6-1 shortcoming to Summit's Parker Nichols — the best Lloyd could hope for was fifth place. In fact, squeezing into the Top 5 was the best any Hermiston or Pendleton tennis player could have managed with Monday’s early loses.