THE FRONT ROW with Bruce Bourquin, May 16, 2014

Coeur d'Alene High senior and co-captain Caitlin McHugh will finish off her high school girls singles tennis career with one final attempt at winning a state 5A championship, beginning today.

It may end up being the last time in a while the No. 1 Viking plays tennis for a school competitively.

McHUGH HAS made the 379-mile trek from Coeur d'Alene High School to the Boise Racquet and Swim Club, where she hopes to advance today and bring home a medal on Saturday.

McHugh participated in two main highlights this season. The first was when McHugh reached the 5A Region 1 championship match and lost to Christine Sayler of Lewiston, 7-5, 6-2. McHugh led the first set 5-2 but still advanced to state as the region's No. 2 seed.

"The district tournament in Boise is pretty competitive," McHugh said. "It's similar to the Inland Empire tournament. I'd like to see if I'll place well. It's pretty intense."

The second was more impressive, even though it did not qualify her for state. McHugh finished second in the 53-team Inland Empire Tournament, going 4-1 two weekends ago.

McHugh, who was born in Plano, Texas, lived in Houston and whose family moved to Coeur d'Alene in 2007 to be closer to relatives, tied for fifth as a junior and as a sophomore. The top four finishers earn medals.

"I'm hoping to get (at least) fourth," McHugh said. "I played a lot of tournaments during the summer, I've been in hitting groups in Spokane, taking private lessons."

McHugh learned the game in part from her father, Terry McHugh, who played on the boys tennis team for Coeur d'Alene.

"One day he wanted to play," McHugh said. "I picked it up from there. I like the strategy of it."

DURING THE Inland Empire Tournament, McHugh defeated the No. 3 seed from Chelan, Wash., and then she downed Kyra Harmes of Central Valley, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

McHugh faced one of the toughest girls tennis singles players in the Northwest, Chloe Goyette from West Valley of Yakima (Wash.), who won a state 2A singles championship as a freshman last year in Washington. McHugh's goals 6-1, 6-0.

The losses to Goyette and Sayler were the only ones she had in the regular season the past two seasons, as she has gone 24-2.

"I didn't have any expectations going into it," McHugh said. "I was playing very well. I ended up getting a very good draw. It's nice to have the different competition in Spokane. It's different in North Idaho. It was really exciting, I didn't expect to go that far. It was a good accomplishment."

Coeur d'Alene girls coach Laura Taylor, who is wrapping up her 12th season, has some lofty praise for McHugh.

"I would say Caitlin is probably the best girls singles player I've ever seen," Taylor said. "She's got a tremendous backhand, she puts the ball where she wants. I've never had a player who's gone as far as she did (in state). That's pretty great for her, the Boise kids have private coaches. She's a great player, a joy to coach. She's one of those kids who've been working on her game. She sticks around and watches her teammates play until they're finished. I'm excited to see what she can do at state. If she gets a little luck and a decent draw, I think it (winning a title) can be done."

As for the Inland Empire Tournament, Taylor said she's never had a player advance to the finals during her coaching career.

"That was the largest it's been in 69 years," Taylor said. "For Caitlin to get second was huge."

NOW BACK to McHugh possibly not playing competitively for any school after her days as a Viking are over.

After accepting an Arizona Excellence Tuition Award, an academic scholarship which will pay nearly $12,000 per academic year, McHugh has chosen to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson. She said she will not try to play Pac-12 tennis for the Wildcats, but she said she will consider playing either club or intramural tennis.

She also received offers from Community Colleges of Spokane and Lewis-Clark State College.

"I've always wanted to go to a bigger school," McHugh said of Arizona. "I visited back in early March and I didn't decide to go there until the first week of April. It was a really hard decision. My final two schools were Loyola Marymount and Arizona. I was looking at Division III schools, but they don't offer athletic scholarships. I was looking at Pitzer College in Claremont (Calif.) and Pacific (in Forest Grove, Ore., near Portland)."

McHugh, who has a 3.87 grade-point average and is taking an advanced placement calculus course, is also involved in her youth group at St. Pius X Catholic Church and volunteers at the Kootenai Humane Society in Hayden.

"I plan on majoring in mathematics," McHugh said. "I've always taken more challenging courses. I like the equation part of it."

So McHugh will try to place among the top four girls singles players in the state this weekend. One match at a time.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, or via email at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @bourq25