Home

Last year, the Steamboat Springs girls tennis team was built to win. It had the depth in singles and doubles teams to take the school's first girls' regional title

Then Kelli Parnell, a junior at the time, broke her foot before the regional tournament, forcing the Sailors to leave the No. 1 singles slot empty. Steamboat couldn't overcome Parnell's absence to take the title.

Everything seems different this season.

Tuesday, Steamboat's three singles players and eight doubles players appeared healthy and ready to compete. Although the Sailors aren't thrilled that the regional tournament has been moved from Grand Junction to Delta, they won't have time to worry about the venue change.

The regional tournament opens Thursday.

"This is for state," Steamboat coach John Aragon said. "It shouldn't matter. ... If we don't have 11 players going to the state tournament, I'll be disappointed."

At first that seemed like a lot of pressure to put on a relatively young squad -- there are only three seniors -- but the players believe the same thing.

"We have high hopes," Adele Dombrowski said.

Dombrowski, along with No. 2 singles player Breanne Murray and the No. 3 doubles team of Brittany DeGroff and Rebecca Timmerman represented the Sailors at state last season. The top two from each regional bracket advance. Dombrowski and former partner Tara King picked up a regional title.

This year, Dombrowski has had to adjust to new partner Kristin Toy, and the pair figures to have the hardest draw in the regional tournament. Dombrowski is using her forehand more, and Toy takes more of the backhand shots.

"You have to see what works out," Toy said.

They have had to default several matches during the regular season, so they will have a lower seed than many of their teammates, but Dombrowski has the experience of going to state that she and Toy can draw from.

Same with DeGroff and Timmerman. Although many players jockey for position on doubles teams, DeGroff and Timmerman knew where they wanted to play and whom they wanted to play with before the season started.

"We told (Aragon) we were playing together," DeGroff jokes. "We can't play with anyone else."

The two are brutally honest with each other on the court and good friends off it. In fact, many doubles players will agree it's impossible to have much success if the pair doesn't get along.

When the players stood to get their pictures taken before Tuesday's practice, DeGroff and Timmerman simultaneously put their hands around each other's shoulders.

For as much camaraderie as the pair may have, they know that's not enough to carry them back to state. At this point of the season, the level of play goes up.

"You need to have consistency," DeGroff said.

The Sailors have been a pretty consistent team all season, winning all 10 of their dual matches as a team. Now, the singles players and doubles teams work for a common goal of winning a regional title, while individually getting to state.

"I think we are the team to beat," Aragon said.

-- To reach Melinda Mawdsley call 871-4208 or e-mail mmawdsley@steamboatpilot.com