One day after suffering a slew of losses, the Durango High School girls tennis team found a few more victories.
The Demons completed play in the Western Slope Open. Head coach Dave Weisfeldt considered the trip a learning experience for his team, but he was happy to see them gain experience winning Saturday.
“It was a better day. We got beat up (Friday), so having some wins was definitely a good thing,” Wesifeldt said.
Kit Hackett lost her only match of the day at No. 1 singles 8-1 to Grand Junction Central.
Her younger sister, freshman Maggie Hackett, won one match Friday and advanced thanks to a default late in the day. She made the best of her opportunity to move on with a 10-8 win against Heritage. She ended the day with an 8-5 loss to Palmer Ridge.
“She received a better consolation draw thanks to that default Friday. She performed well and had a great day,” Wesifeldt said.
Hannah Liberman won both of her matches at No. 3 singles Saturday. She won 8-4 against Vail Mountain and 8-6 against Denver East.
“She had a big day. It was good to see her turn it around and get some wins,” Wesifeldt said. “She played patient and pulled out a few options from her bag of tricks. She found ways to win and adapted throughout the matches.”
The No. 1 doubles team of Emma Hagen and Audrey Morris defeated Grand Junction Central 8-3 before falling to Montrose 8-2.
Rachel Cooper and Eva Eckstein also beat Grand Junction Central 8-7 with a 7-5 tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles. Their tournament ended with an 8-3 loss to Palmer Ridge.
Ruby DeKay and Elli Gervais lost their only match of the day 8-6 to Grand Junction Central at No. 3 doubles. The No. 4 doubles team of Jenna Engelken and Hailee Pritchard lost 8-0 to Pueblo West.
“We are in experience-building mode with a lot of those teams. We are missing players, and girls are playing up in positions,” Wesifeldt said. “It will serve these girls very well to face the tougher competition they have seen. It will make it easier when they settle into their normal positions.”
The Demons, after three consecutive days of tennis in Grand Junction, are idle until April 4, when they again will travel to face Grand Junction.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
