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Demons swing into fine form

DHS girls tennis team competitive at Delta County Invitational

Finally at full strength, the Durango High School girls tennis team shined.

The DHS Demons competed in the Delta County Invitational on Friday at the Courts at Cleland Park. Though the day started with a few tough matches, the Demons battled back and set themselves up for big matches Saturday.

“Maybe something is coming together for us. We had a sense of normalcy finally, and the confidence of winning can go a long way,” DHS head coach Dave Weisfeldt said. “The girls know they can do it, and getting actual wins in the scorebooks means a lot.”

The No. 3 doubles team of Elli Gervais and Hailee Pritchard had the best day of all the Demons. In a tournament played only with pro sets until the finals, Gervais and Pritchard beat Aspen 8-7 (7-2) and Delta 8-3. They reached the finals of the tournament.

“They were shining stars. We are thrilled about them clicking together,” Weisfeldt said.

The No. 4 doubles team of Ali Carey and Jenny Snowberger beat Grand Junction 8-0 before losing to Montrose 8-6. After earning a bye, the pair will play in the third-place match Saturday.

At No. 1 doubles, Emma Hagen and Audrey Morris lost to Glenwood Springs 8-6 in the morning, and then they beat Fruita Monument 8-5 in the second round of the consolation ladder. They will compete in the fifth-place match Saturday.

Rachel Cooper and Eva Eckstein also are in the fifth-place match after losing 8-7 (7-4) to Montrose in the morning Friday before rallying to beat Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction both 8-6.

“They used a lot of points. We like getting the wins, but we wish we would’ve got Montrose in the afternoon when the girls had warmed up a bit,” Weisfeldt said.

In the singles competition, Kit Hackett returned to her No. 1 position. She beat Grand Junction 8-3 before losing to Aspen 8-4. She bounced back to beat Glenwood Springs 8-1 to earn a place in the fifth-place match.

“Hopefully she will be able to continue the momentum she picked up in the afternoon into that match,” Wesifeldt said.

Kit Hackett’s younger sister, Maggie Hackett, lost her first match 8-0 to Montezuma-Cortez at No. 2 singles. She then beat Fruita Monument 8-3 and Grand Junction 8-2.

“She wasn’t ready for the pace of play of Cortez, but she will get a crack at them again when we host them Tuesday,” Wesifeldt said.

Rounding out the singles competition, Meredith Nass lost 8-2 to Aspen at No. 3 singles. She went on to beat Delta 8-3 and Montrose 8-1 to earn a spot in the fifth-place match Saturday.

Wesifeldt is hoping for some more wins Saturday as his team continues to round into form. He said playing the pro sets will help his team to learn to play more aggressive from the get-go, something they can carry into regular sets, too.

“The girls got the idea of the length of the matches and knew they had to get after it right away instead of waiting to get into a groove. They know they have to get after it faster,” Weisfeldt said. “Every point counts, and we know we can’t stand around until halfway through a match to develop a gameplan.”

heraldsports@durangoherald.com

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