Submitted photo – The Arcata girls at this week’s playoff match. From left to right, Judah white, Kyra Alway, Aimee Reiner, Keona DeArmond, Abigail Issa, Ila Sommer, Iris Besmer, Kloee Donnelly, Astreya McKnight, Jasmine McKnight.

The talented Tigers trio of Keona DeArmond, Aimee Reiner and Kyra Alway continued to impress at the North Coast Section tennis team championships this week, as they get set for next week’s singles and doubles tournaments.

The three standouts combined for wins at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles to lead the way for the Tigers, who fell 5-2 at College Prep in Oakland on Wednesday.

The match, however, was closer than the final score would suggest with several individual matches going down to the wire.

“It was so competitive,” Arcata head coach Sheldon Heath said. “We lost that match by a total of probably six points. It came down to some key points and it could have gone either way.”

DeArmond won at No. 1 singles, while Reiner and Alway took the victory at No. 1 doubles, and the talented trio will carry plenty of momentum into next week’s big tournaments as they look to make more history for the H-DNL.

Two years ago, the last time the NCS held a playoff tournament in the sport, DeArmond teamed with Reiner to place second at the NCS Division-II doubles tournament and become the first-ever local players to win a section pennant in the sport.

Heath believes they can replicate that success this year and that DeArmond will be a force in the singles tournament.

“I’m looking for Keona to show up again,” the coach said. “She was locked in on Wednesday and if she can do that again the sky’s the limit.”

For most of the Tigers, the season ended with Wednesday’s loss, but it was another memorable campaign for the team, which was 9-0 in league play.

“It was a very good year. Definitely the best team I’ve ever had top to bottom,” said Heath, who has been coaching the Tigers for 14 years.

The NCS singles and doubles tournaments will take place in Santa Rosa on Monday and Tuesday.