BUDDY DOUBLES.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Churchill girls tennis coach Todd Hammans was aware of both the risks and the rewards of teaming up best friends as doubles partners.

"Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad, but with Lindsay and Leslie it has been good for them," Hammans said. "Being best friends has helped them."

Seniors Lindsay Wiechert and Leslie Miles went undefeated in Midwestern League matches this season and are the top-seeded doubles team heading into the district tournament Thursday and Friday. Competition will be held at the Thurston High School and Willamalane courts on Thursday before moving to the Eugene Swim & Tennis Club on Friday.

"It has been fun playing with Leslie," Wiechert said. "We're good friends off the court and we work well on the court, so it is exciting. Hopefully we can do well at district and state."

Wiechert is teaming with her third partner in three years and will look to continue her success with Miles.

Wiechert teamed with Candace Lee to win the district doubles title as a sophomore and won again last year with Janae King. Wiechert and Lee reached the state semifinals in 2002, and Wiechert and King lost in the finals of the state championships last year.

Miles teamed with Kailee Luell last year, and the two placed third at district before reaching the consolation final at state.

"This has been really an amazing and fun year," Miles said. "It is a really good learning experience because Lindsay has always been up at a higher level, so it is fun to play with her now."

The only loss for Miles and Wiechert this year came against the Lakeridge duo of Whitney Talbott and Courtney Van Valkenburg at the Jesuit tournament last month. That was only the second match of the year for Miles and Wiechert, who lost 6-4, 6-4.

"That was our first big match together, and I felt I had a lot of pressure on me because Lindsay did so well at state, so I had to live up to those expectations," Miles said. "I talked with my coaches afterward and they said if I just relax and play up to my potential, things will all fall into place."

Miles and Wiechert have won 14 in a row since their lone loss and are 15-1 overall.

"Our first big learning experience was the Jesuit tournament," Wiechert said. "We were not happy with how we played, and after that we knew what we wanted. We knew that once we got practicing we wouldn't be happy with ourselves unless we stepped up to play to our full potential."

Wiechert and Miles have been the best of friends since the sixth grade and have played together in the offseason, but are teaming up for the first time as Lancers.

"We are working on them being more aggressive," Hammons said. "Don't just go out to do whatever it takes to win, but get teams scared of you. Be aggressive and go to the net no matter what your opponent is doing. Play your game and force them to play yours."

Wiechert played singles all of last season before being teamed with King for districts, and the two clicked immediately to win the district title and reach the state final.

"I was surprised we did so well at first, but once Janae and I played together we realized it was a good match and we had good chemistry on the court," Wiechert said. "It was our goal to get to the state final last year, and hopefully Leslie and I can do the same thing."

Hammons thinks that can happen, especially considering that Wiechert has much more experience with Miles than she had with King.

"If they keep playing like they are, they can do just as good as Lindsay and Janae did," Hammons said. "This year Lindsay has been able to practice more with her partner and Leslie has always played doubles, so it is a natural for them."

Wiechert has helped the Lancers place third at state during each of the past two seasons.

"Lindsay is awesome, she's the captain," Hammans said. "The whole team respects her, and she is one of those few people you get on a team that can do everything and never causes a problem. She is always the solution. The whole team really does follow her. It is neat to see."

Wiechert, Miles and fellow seniors Jenna Richeson and Holly Jones have helped Churchill win three straight district titles. The Lancers had not lost a regular-season match since those four arrived in 2001 until South Eugene defeated Churchill three weeks ago.

"They handled that well," Hammans said. "Not many kids can say that four matches before the end of their senior year, they lost their first match. It was a wake-up call that maybe we're not as good as we think we are, so let's go out and win and do this."

The Lancers have more seeded players than any other school entering the district tournament, with Wiechert and Miles leading the way as the No. 1 doubles team. Stephanie Waples and Carissa Lee are the No. 3 seed in doubles, while Richeson is seeded third in singles as she tries to qualify for state for the first time.

Two weeks after snapping Churchill's winning streak, the Axemen hope to break the Lancers' three-year hold on the district title. South's girls last won the championship in 2000.

Junior Wenqi Shao, who placed third at district last year, is the No. 2 seed in singles.

"She is a power hitter," first-year coach Chris Young said. "She can sustain a rally against almost anyone, and when people do not give her enough power, she picks her targets and finishes them fast."

The doubles team of Avery Holland and Ashley Churchill is seeded fourth.

Sheldon is also expected to contend and has the second-seeded doubles team in Erin Bruni and Jaime King, who placed fourth at district last year.

Marshfield senior Suzanne Massie is the No. 1 seed in singles as she chases her first district title. Massie lost to Churchill's Kelli Royer in last year's district final and placed fourth as a sophomore.

"Suzanne is doing very well; her forehand continues to be her go-to weapon," Marshfield coach Kim Griffin said. "Her backhand is more powerful than last year and she has honed her net skills to go forward and play with skill."

With three-time champion Royer now playing at the University of North Texas, Massie enters as the top seed for the first time.

"Suzanne seems strong and eager to play," Griffin said.

Thurston's Jessica Gorman is the No. 4 seed.

CAPTION(S):

Churchill seniors Leslie Miles (left) and Lindsay Wiechert are best friends who were paired together as a doubles tandem for the first time this season. The experiment has been a success so far, as the duo has run its record to 15-1 entering the district championships. Wiechert has been a district doubles champion for the Lancers in each of the last two years, with two different partners. This year she goes for her third straight title, with a third different partner, Miles.