The Durango High School girls tennis team had three doubles teams win regional titles and two singles players qualify for state with second-place finishes on Friday at the 4A Region 8 Champions, held at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.
In the team race, Durango tied Grand Junction for first.
“I think we all did wonderful,” said captain Juliet DiGiacomo. “We all showed up and did what we needed to do. We had expectations, and we exceeded them.”
DiGiacomo and her partner, Adwyn Chowen, entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed at No. 1 doubles.
The duo beat Montrose 6-0, 6-0 in the first round. In the finals, they squared off with Grand Junction Central’s Jordan Bauer and Tsifira Berger. DHS won the first set, 6-2, but the second set needed a tiebreaker. “In the second set, we were down in the beginning, but we kept a good attitude,” DiGiacomo said. She said the tiebreaker was stressful, but the Demons prevailed in the second set 7-6 (7-2) to win the regional crown.
“We were so happy after the tiebreaker,” she said. “We just hugged.”
At No. 2 doubles, Ellie McLean and Lola Bradshaw also scored a regional title for DHS. “I think we did really good,” said captain McLean. She said they were down early in their matches but didn’t put a lot of pressure on themselves, got more comfortable and rallied to beat both of their opponents.
“We’re like the come-backers,” McLean said.
They began the tournament with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Grand Junction. In the finals, they played Central’s Caysee Calton and Lenah Anderson, who beat them during the season. On Friday, however, DHS emerged on top, 7-5, 6-2.
“That was a big win for them to beat Central,” said DHS head coach Darren Tarshis. “They’re peaking at the right time in how well they’re playing together.”
Durango’s No. 4 doubles team of Avery Edgar and Rachel Ager also scored a regional title. They beat Montrose 6-0, 6-1 to start the tournament. Then they took down Central’s Shaelyn Grant and Annabelle Carter 6-2, 6-0 in the championship. They were the favorites, but it was also both players’ first regional competition.
“Their challenge was more the pressure of regionals,” Tarshis said. “They handled the pressure and got through regionals to win it.”
Singles players Sophia Gallagher and Ellie Davenport also punched their tickets to next week’s state tournament with second-place finishes.
At No. 1 singles, Gallagher won a tight match against Montrose’s Andie Blowers to start the tournament, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
“Sophia had a bit of a slow start in her first match and was down 4-1,” Tarshis said. “But she was able to rally back. She played quite well, especially in the second set.”
In the finals, Gallagher fell to Grand Junction’s Emma Aubert, 6-1, 6-4.
Davenport began with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Central’s Sydney Mauer at No. 2 singles. She then squared off with Emma Thompson of Grand Junction but came up short, 6-2, 6-2.
“She cruised through her first match pretty smoothly, but Grand Junction has some good singles players,” Tarshis said. “I’m happy she was able to qualify.”
At No. 3 doubles, Litzy Lopez and Addie Cady didn’t qualify for state, but they beat Montrose in the third-place match to score a crucial two team points for DHS. “Without that, we would not have tied for first,” Tarshis said.
Jessie Mankins, who bumped up from junior varsity to play at No. 3 singles, went 0-2 to finish fourth. “She handled the pressure well but was outmatched,” Tarshis said.
Durango and Grand Junction, who won the three singles titles, tied for first with 50 points. Central placed third with 30, and Montrose placed fourth with 10.
Durango, however, didn’t find out it won the tournament until it was back at its hotel. There was a mix-up in the scoring, and DHS thought they lost by two. Then Grand Junction’s coach said they lost by one, Tarshis said, so he double-checked at the hotel and found out they had in fact tied for the championship.
“It feels great,” Tarshis said. “The last two years we played in the region, we came away with one title, and today we’re coming away with three. I think we sent a message that they need to keep an eye on Durango.”
“Our team did really good,” McLean said. “I think everyone thinks we’re always the underdogs, but we came in with more confidence, and our team spirit was definitely higher. I’m proud of everyone.”
The Demons will next head to the state championships, which will be held Thursday through Sunday in Pueblo.
“Of the eight, four qualified last year, so half have been to state,” Tarshis said. “We’ll just go and compete at a higher level and see what they can do.”
