WAIPAHU — Kristin Lim and Jared Spiker were the stars in yesterday's celebration of athletic Hawai'i families at the Carlsmith Ball State High School Tennis Championships. Both fought off spirited challenges to win singles championships at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park.

Lim's 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-1 victory over Lahainaluna's Jackie Owens gave her family a record eighth state championship. Kristin has half, winning the last three singles titles for Punahou after poaching a doubles championship her freshman year. Brothers Robby and Mikey each won two singles titles.

"They have a lot of determination," Punahou Tennis Director Bernard Gusman said. "Each had their own different way, but each had that never, ever give-up attitude."

Kristin is "last of the legacy" and the fifth girl to win three singles titles, after Karen Kop, Tracy Kunichika, Betsy Somerville and Kalei Gora. Erin Hoe is the only one to win four.

The Somerville family won seven state titles between 1979 and '82, with Henry getting three and twin brother Jim one, to go with Betsy's hat trick.

Owens did her 5-foot-3 best to prevent the Lims from breaking that record yesterday, launching a compelling rally after losing the first three games of the second set. The senior, headed to Washington State, finally found a way to frustrate Lim with an irritating serve and deep groundstrokes.

Owens won three straight games to get back in it. Then, down 4-1 in the tiebreaker, she won five straight points to take control. Lim nullified three set points — the first on an overrule — but double-faulted and then missed a forehand.

All it accomplished was to prove Lim was human. She had lost just three games before yesterday and, told to "play with purpose" during the break, she roared back to win the final set and second state title of her senior year (after soccer). She does not plan to play another match until she gets to Cornell.

"I refreshed my mind (during the break)," Lim said. "Went out there, believed it was my set no matter what the score and pushed out of my mind all the stuff that wasn't important."

While they were going the distance for a fascinating 2 hours, Kalani junior Spiker and Punahou senior Kevin Caulfield slugged it out over two sets in a match that ended at practically the same time.

Caulfield, the fourth seed who upset top-seeded Matthew Westmoreland in a semifinal, grabbed a 5-3 advantage in the first set. Spiker, the self-taught second seed, came back to force the tiebreaker and went up 5-2 on a net cord. He got his sixth point despite needing three "winners" against the relentless Caulfield, then drilled a forehand down the line.

A service break in the sixth game of the second set was all he needed for a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win. He is the first Kalani champion since Ian Matsueda in 1983.

"This is the best day of my life," the overwhelmed Spiker grinned. "So far."

In a twist as refreshingly diverse as the games of Caulfield and Spiker, it was the Spiker family's sixth state championship, but first outside wrestling: Jonathan Spiker won four state titles at Saint Louis and Jason one for Kaiser this year.

Punahou, which clinched its 19th straight boys state title Friday, finished with 25 points to 'Iolani's 17. 'Iolani's Kyle Shiroma and Brent Hashiba won the doubles title yesterday, beating Punahou's Erik Pang and Hiroshi Hikida, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The Punahou girls, who clinched their seventh straight team title Thursday, finished with 29 points to runner-up Kealakehe's seven. The Buffanblu also won doubles, for the fourth straight year, with Ashley Nakaoka and Jennifer Laws beating 'Iolani's Nikki Castel and Bobbi Oshiro, 6-1, 6-3.

CARLSMITH BALL STATE HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys
Singles
Championship—(2) Jared Spiker (Kalani) def. (4) Kevin Caulfield (Punahou) 7-6 (3), 6-3. Third—(1) Matthew Westmoreland (Island Pacific Academy) def. (7) Josh Wong (Hilo) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
Championship—(2) Kyle Shiroma/Brent Hashiba ('Iolani) def. (1) Erik Pang/Hiroshi Hikida (Punahou) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Third—(4) William Chen/Brandon Lee (Punahou) def. (3) Shaun Chow/Paul Okuda (Punahou) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Team—Punahou 25; 'Iolani 17; Kalani 10; Island Pacific Academy 5; Hilo and Kealakehe 4; Pearl City 3; Mililani 2; Kaiser, Kapa'a, Konawaena, Maui, McKinley, St. Louis, Waiakea and Waimea 1.
Girls
Singles
Championship—(1) Kristin Lim (Punahou) def. (2) Jackie Owens (Lahainaluna) 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-1. Third—(3) Sayo Tsukamoto (Kealakehe) def. (4) Mari Tadaki (Hawai'i Baptist) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3)
Doubles
Championship—(1) Ashley Nakaoka/Jennifer Laws (Punahou) def. (2) Nikki Castel/Bobbi Oshiro ('Iolani) 6-1, 6-3. Third—(3) Kelly Domingo/Kelsey Daguio (Sacred Hearts) def. (4) Adrienne Hamada/Kimberly Takara (Mililani) 6-4, 7-5.
Team—Punahou 23; Kealakehe 7; Hawai'i Baptist, 'Iolani, Lahainaluna, Mililani 6; Sacred Hearts 5; Moanalua 3; Baldwin, Kamehameha, Kapa'a and Kaua'i 2; Kamehameha-Maui, Le Jardin, Maryknoll, Pearl City, Radford, Roosevelt, Seabury and Waiakea 1.