Sailors sweep regionals
Steamboat girls tennis sending 11 players to state tournament
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Results
No. 1 singles - SS Lisa Floyd def. Delta, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 singles - SS Breanne Murray def. Vail Mountain, 6-0, 6-2
No. 3 singles - SS Shelby Reed def. Cortez, 6-0, 6-0
No. 1 doubles - SS Molly Weiss and Kristin Toy def. Montrose, 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 doubles - SS Kirsten Brehmer and Kylee Swiggart def. Montrose, 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 doubles - SS Sara Bearss and Kerry Enochs def. Montrose 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 doubles - SS Alexis Lezin and Valerie Lezin def. Glenwood Springs, 6-0, 6-4
Grand Junction — Steamboat Springs girls tennis coach John Aragon has contended all year the class 4A state championships will be a dog fight between four or five schools.
Saturday, Steamboat reaffirmed Aragon's belief the Sailors will be one of those teams.
After putting all 11 players through to the championships Friday, the Sailors swept regionals Saturday, taking first place in every slot. It was the first time a girls team has won at every spot in regionals.
"It was good tennis," Aragon said. "The girls played well across the board, and now we can look toward the state tournament."
At the state tournament, Steamboat will have every advantage, competing with all 11 girls - something Aragon said will be vital to the Sailors' success.
"There's a variety of schools there that can all win it," he said. "If some things go our way, it could get interesting. It will be between four or five teams, and we're definitely one of them."
While early nerves played a part in several of the matches, the Sailors' skills prevailed.
"My goal for regionals was to get my game back because I've been chipping at it," said
senior Breanne Murray, who will be one of five returning state medalists to play at state again. "I think (Saturday) I got my game back."
Looking ahead to state, Steamboat's toughest competition most likely will come from Mullen (returning nearly everyone from last year's team), Cheyenne Mountain (returning top three singles players, all of whom finished in the top four at state) and Greeley West (returning several doubles teams).
Earlier in the year, Steamboat lost to Cheyenne Mountain, 6-1, with No. 3 singles player Shelby Reed picking up the lone win for the Sailors.
Aragon said that matchup easily could have gone in the Sailors' favor if Steamboat won a couple of points during crucial portions of the match.
Still, the Steamboat team that played Cheyenne Mountain more than a month ago and the team that took home seven regional titles Saturday are completely different teams.
"We just have to work as hard as we can," Reed said. "It would be nice to get in the top three as a team. We have to mentally focus as well as physically prepare."
The state meet begins in Pueblo on Thursday and runs through Saturday.
- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229
or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Requires free registration
Posting comments requires a free account and verification.
Or login with:
OpenID