A year of ups and downs and reshuffled lineups all led to the regional tournament for the Durango High School girls tennis team.
Through all the tribulations, the Demons played their best tennis when it mattered the most Friday at the Class 4A Region 8 tournament at the Canyon View Park Courts in Grand Junction.
The No. 4 doubles team of Ali Carey and Jenni Snowberger won three matches Friday to advance to the championship match where they will face Aspen.
They began the day with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Vail before beating Hotchkiss 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. Carey and Snowberger closed the day with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory against Steamboat Springs in the semifinals.
“We are so excited to have them in the finals. To get a championship out of those two really would be icing on the cake for us,” DHS head coach Dave Weisfeldt said.
Carey and Snowberger are the only Demons playing for a championship Friday, but most of the team remains alive in the consolation ladder with chances to finish as high as third.
Kit Hackett, the No. 5 seed at No. 1 singles, earned a bye in the first round but fell 6-4, 7-5 to Steamboat Springs. Because Steamboat Springs advanced to the championship match, Kit Hackett earned a place in the playbacks. She will have to win two matches to finish third.
“She had a super close match with Steamboat, and that result was excellent against a player that good,” Wesifeldt said.
Maggie Hackett had a solid day as the No. 5 seed in the No. 2 singles tournament. She lost her first match against Aspen 6-3, 6-2. In the first round of the consolation bracket, she defeated Hotchkiss 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), and she will play for third place in the morning.
At No. 3 singles, DHS senior Meredith Nass played three matches Thursday. She beat Roaring Fork 6-1, 6-3 and Cedaredge 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals where she lost 6-0, 6-2 to Steamboat Springs.
“She had a pretty good day and played lots of tennis,” Weisfeldt said. “We are excited to see her go for third.”
No. 1 doubles team of Emma Hagen and Audrey Morris earned some revenge against Montezuma-Cortez. After losing to the Panthers twice earlier in the season, the duo picked up a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory at regionals Thursday morning. They went on to lose to Steamboat Springs 6-2, 7-5 before falling to Glenwood Springs 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1) to end their tournament.
“They had such a close match with Steamboat and Glenwood. Their tournament is done, but they will transition into cheering on their teammates,” Weisfeldt said.
Misfortune struck the DHS No. 2 doubles team. Rachel Cooper came down with an illness Wednesday night and was unable to compete Thursday morning. Her partner, Eva Eckstein, was left with nobody to play with, forcing DHS to go without a No. 2 doubles team.
A new No. 3 doubles team of Sydney Carey and Hailee Pritchard was able to beat Roaring Fork 6-0, 6-1 before going on to beat Hotchkiss. Playing in the semifinals, the duo fell to Montezuma-Cortez 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.
“Ellie Gervias wasn’t able to come because of school obligations, so we had to plug Sydney into the lineup with Hailee. She did great, and they are alive with a chance at third,” Weisfeldt said.
After going 1-6 in dual matches this season, Weisfeldt was happy to see his team step up. Aspen and Steamboat Springs are well ahead of the rest of the teams, but Wesifeldt said it will be a battle between his team, Montezuma-Cortez and Montrose for third place Friday in Grand Junction.
“We knew we are better than our dual record, and we played our best tennis of the season when we needed to,” Wesifeldt said. “Despite not getting any top-four seeds, we are still shaking out to be a top-three finisher if we can win some consolation matches.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
