Westendorp takes 6th at Districts, advances to State

Published 10:33 am Friday, May 24, 2013

KINGSTON — Nicole Westendorp has continued to surprise Kingston head coach Terry Grimm up to this point.

Though Westendorp, an exchange student from The Netherlands, starts matches out slowly, she continues to find a way to win.

“She’s a smart player,” Grimm said. “She knows where to put the ball and how to angle shots.”

Westendorp earned a State berth after finishing sixth in the district tournament. She won three matches, and lost two.

Westendorp tends to earn many of her points by returning the ball close to the net. She didn’t have much of a net game at the beginning of the season, Grimm said. That’s changed.

“She’s looking good,” Grimm said. “She’s very consistent.”

Westendorp begins her State run May 24 against Lindbergh’s Lizel Villanueva. Villanueva is not unknown to the Kingston exchange student.

In the second round of the district tournament, Villanueva defeated Westendorp 6-0, 6-0, bumping Westendorp out of the running for a shot at the district championship.

Villanueva won the district championship. The Lindbergh player was named the Seamount Tennis Athlete of the Year during the regular season.