The Durango High School girls tennis team began the Class 4A state championships by winning four of its first five matches Thursday in Pueblo.
The Demons came up empty in the quarterfinals, but all five positions are still in the hunt for third place heading into Day 2.
“The big goal was to come to state and play well,” said DHS head coach Darren Tarshis. “I feel like all of the positions showed up to state and played well.”
Sophia Gallagher took down Ali Tedesko of Cañon City in straight sets at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0 to start the tournament.
At No. 1 doubles, Adwyn Chowen and Juliet DiGiacomo won a tight match over Reann Savage and Lindsey Stevenson of Pueblo West 7-5, 6-4.
Elle McLean and Lola Bradshaw beat Aliseya Dickenson and Ambrea Pena of Pueblo Centennial 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 4 doubles, Avery Edgar and Rachel Ager began with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Destiny Tuttle and Madison James of Mesa Ridge.
Ellie Davenport fell to Cheyenne Mountain’s Taylor Stadjuhar 6-0, 6-2, but Stadjuhar won her quarterfinal contest by the same score to keep Davenport in the hunt for third place. To get pulled into the playbacks, the Demons will need the players who defeated them to reach the finals.
Gallagher fell to Alys Pop of Niwot in the quarters 6-2, 6-3.
Chowen and DiGiacomo lost to Kent Denver’s Meredith Waters and Kendall Adams 6-1, 6-3.
McLean and Bradshaw rallied against Kent Denver’s Samantha Brenner and Olivia Murane after losing the first set 6-2. They came back and won the second set 6-4, but Kent’s duo escaped with a 6-4 win in the third set to take the match.
Edgar and Ager, meanwhile, fell to Avery Walters and Grace Brouillette of Mullen 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
“When I look at who we lost to, it was Cheyenne Mountain, Kent Denver, Niwot and Mullen – four of the top tennis schools in Colorado year after year,” Tarshis said. “Those are always going to be tough matches … but we have a very good chance of making the playbacks.”
All four of the teams DHS lost to are in the top six in the team standings after the first day. Cheyenne Mountain leads the team race with 18 points, and Kent Denver is second with 17.
DHS is tied with Loveland for eighth place with four points.
“I’m trying to build the program and show them the right behaviors to be successful,” Tarshis said, noting that the Demons were the first team to show up Thursday. “The kids are motivated and doing all of the right behaviors to be a top team; it just comes down to experience.”
All of the Demons competing in the state championships are underclassmen.
