Not bad for a ninth seed.

Oak Harbor High School junior AnnaBelle Whitefoot placed fourth in the District 1 3A singles tennis tournament Tuesday and Wednesday, May 19 and 20, at Arlington.

Although Whitefoot missed earning a berth in the state tournament by one spot, she proved the “experts” wrong by posting a series of upsets.

Whitefoot was seeded ninth in the Wesco North, then stormed through the divisional tournament to place third.

In the district tournament, which featured the top four finishers from Wesco’s North and South, Whitefoot added another upset.

Whitefoot, the No. 3 seed from the North, started district by losing to the South’s No. 2 seed, Madeline Mahler of Glacier Peak, 6-4, 6-0. She then stopped the South’s No. 4 seed, Michelle Baldini of Glacier Peak, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.

Whitefoot followed that win with an upset of the North’s No. 2 seed, Jacey Wreggelsworth of Arlington, 7-6(5) 6-2 in a two-and-a-half hour tussle.

That landed Whitefoot in the match for third and fourth places and final state slot. She fell to North champion Marina Ciferri of Marysville Getchell 6-2, 6-4.

Oak Harbor coach Horace Mells said the long match with Wreggelsworth took its toll on Whitefoot.

“AnnaBelle, while serving with a 4-3 lead in the second set (against Ciferri), had a couple of chances to extend her lead to 5-3 but did not have the energy left to push harder,” Mells said. “She played well and is an alternate to state.”