WAILUKU — The Kennedy sisters of the Baldwin High School girls tennis team took control of the Wells Park tennis courts on Friday night.

Playing side-by-side, Maile and Makena Kennedy both won their singles matches to help sweep Lanai 5-0 during a Maui Interscholastic League regular-season competition in Wailuku.

“I thought it was very fun, I enjoy myself out there,” freshman Makena Kennedy said after completing her No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-2, against Lanai’s Mikaela Badillo. “It feels a little more comfortable because I know someone who is my family is out there with me, and I get to watch (Maile) when I finish, too.

“I tend to watch her a lot which tends to get me distracted sometimes, but it’s kind of nice to watch her sometimes because it kind of, like, calms me down if I know she’s winning.”

During the No. 2 singles match, sophomore Maile Kennedy quickly gained control with a 6-2 win the first set, but Lanai’s Jenel Gani rallied to make the second set closer in a 7-5 Kennedy win.

“Overall, it was pretty decent, the first set was definitely a lot better than the second set,” Maile Kennedy said. “The second set I was definitely a lot more tired and my strokes just weren’t as good and the ball was going into the net more often, and I don’t think I was hitting the ball as hard, I was just trying to get the ball over the net.”

For Maile Kennedy, having a sister as a teammate is nothing new. Last year, the Bears graduated two other Kennedys, Kailani and Kaui, who went on to attend Eastern Washington University.

Makena Kennedy added that sometimes she’ll ask her older siblings for tennis tips, because they are still familiar with the Baldwin team, and are more experienced on what to do and what not to do.

“They were a big, big part of our program and now the younger sisters are just as well,” girls coach Cynthia Feike said. “They’re still learning a lot but they’re good, so I’m glad we have them because it really helps our program.”

The Kennedy sisters both have the goal of competing in the top ranks at the MIL championship and traveling to the state tournament.

And like a lot of families, there is friendly sibling rivalry.

“I do feel like it’s competitive though because we’re close to the same age and level, a little bit, so competition doesn’t really end on the court, it stays at home too,” Maile Kennedy said. “My sisters like to hit driving balls and I like to hit more consistent back and forward strokes, and staying in place.”

Overall, Fieke said that the girls squad in the East Division is looking decent so far, but they will still have to battle against teams in the West.

The girls teams to look out for this season are Seabury Hall, King Kekaulike and Kamehameha Maui, but “you just never know, you still got to show up and play,” Fieke said.

“I’m hoping they do well at MILs, you know, we always like to see how many can make it to states because it’s a lot of individual play,” she said. “Overall, they try, but if they don’t get it then it’s OK, it’s just one of those tricky things about who you match up with, how the draw comes out.”

In the boys competition, No. 1 singles player Aden Kinoshita led the Bears to a 5-0 victory over the Pine Lads with his 6-0, 6-0 match win against Jayden Castillo.

Teammate Ean Allencastre-Higuchi also defeated Lanai’s Joenelle Agmata with 6-0, 6-0 in No. 2 singles.

“Oh they did well, they did well,” Baldwin boys coach Ricky Tobita said. “(Aden) is one of the tough, tough players for us, he has some great experience, and the skills and everything to play.”

The matches were Lanai’s season-openers, and coach Randon Sanches was OK with the team’s performance, saying that they’ll need to work on “serving and just being aggressive, at the net especially, volleying, and even just placements of other shots instead of just hitting it back — hitting with a sense of direction and purpose.”

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com

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BALDWIN GIRLS 5, LANAI 0

No.1 singles–Makena Kennedy, Baldwin, def. Mikaela Badillo 6-2, 6-2; No. 2 singles–Maile Kennedy, Baldwin, def. Jenel Gani 6-2, 7-5; No. 3 singles–Francis Ibe, Baldwin, def. Marjorie Nabonita 6-0, 6-3; No. 1 doubles–Selena Feike and Kendall Taomoto, Baldwin, def. Alynna Teppang and Samantha Padrun 6-0, 6-1; No. 2 doubles–Kazzandra Anton and Gabbie Gessie, Baldwin, def. Arabella Lamello and Katilyn Purdy 6-3, 6-3.

BALDWIN BOYS 5, LANAI 0

No.1 singles–Aden Kinoshita, Baldwin, def. Jayden Castillo 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 singles–Ean Allencastre-Higuchi, Baldwin, def. Joenelle Agmata 6-0, 6-0; No. 3 singles–Liam Caldwell, Baldwin, won by default; No. 1 doubles–Nicolas Wittenburg and Cody Sears, Baldwin, def. Mitchell Ganir and Michael Raquero 6-0, 6-2; No. 2 doubles–Brent Lacuesta and Malachi Semevolos-Bullock, def. Brysen Seghorn and Jacob Lenseigne 6-0, 6-1.

Friday’s Other Results

GIRLS

SEABURY HALL 5, KIHEI CHARTER 0

No.1 singles–Nikki Fernando, SH, won by defaul;. No. 2 singles–Alexa deCrinis, SH, won by default; No. 3 singles–Julia Cho, SH, won by default; No. 1 doubles–Michelle Tasaki and Erin Tasaki, SH, won by default;.No. 2 doubles–Elena Hickey and Marrisa Tasaki, SH, won by default.

LAHAINALUNA 4, MAUI PREP 1

No. 1 singles–Emma Geng, MPA, def. Kahea Garcia 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; No. 2 singles–Ana Rodriguez Gomez, LL, def. Keanna Villamar 6-0, 6-0; No. 3 singles–Yvonne Abut, MPA, def. Natalie Smart 6-0, 6-4; No. 1 doubles–Challys Pascual and Ariana Pacleb, LL, def. Ana Merrell and Madison Quillan Schlesinger 6-1, 7-5; No. 2 doubles–Amy Khoang and Taimane Cajudoy, LL, def. Teri Campbell and Madison Perry 6-2, 6-1.

Kamehameha Maui at King Kekaulike, ppd. rain

Maui High at Molokai, suspended by darkness

BOYS

KIHEI CHARTER 3, SEABURY HALL 2

No. 1 singles–Hobbes Wilstead, KC, def. Miles Stone 6-2, 6-2; No. 2 singles–Manoli Placourakis, KC, def. Caden Granum 6-3, 1-6, 6-2; No. 3 singles–Jacob Keyser, SH, def. Trevor Coronesi 6-1, 6-3; No. 1 doubles–Quinn Shapiro and Zack Fernando, KC, def. Josh Foley and Evan Lipitz 6-0, 6-1; No. 2 doubles–Max Stone and Kazu Linuma, SH, win by default.

LAHAINALUNA 5, MAUI PREP 0

No. 1 singles–Chris Mueller, LL, def. Noah Schwartz 6-1, 6-0; No. 2 singles–Shawn Abut, LL, def. Makana Boote 6-0, 6-0; No. 3 singles–Adricx Lapus, LL, def. Kila Parrell 6-0, 6-2; No. 1 doubles–Kekai Cajudoy and James Fujii, LL, def. Isaac Kessell and Nolan Brown 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 doubles–Alex Rodriguez Gomez and Dawson Doan, LL, def. Jack Sisco and Val Hirose 6-0, 6-0.

Kamehameha Maui at King Kekaulike, ppd. rain

Maui High at Molokai, suspended by darkness