The Durango High School girls tennis team didn’t bring home any hardware from the 4A individual state championships, but showed the program’s upward trajectory with some strong performances in Pueblo on Thursday-Saturday.
“It was a really positive state tournament,” Durango head coach Darren Tarshis said. “We ended up having 12 matches total and that was a pretty strong rebound from last season, where we only had one state match. This really got us back to what our goals are as a program: to get kids to compete at state and get them a bunch of matches against some of the top teams around the state, especially the Front Range.”
Sophomore Natalie Christensen had the best showing for the Demons. She competed in No. 2 doubles and beat Anna Fedoruk from Palmer, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. Christensen then lost in the quarterfinals to eventual No. 2 doubles state champion Rose Katen from Cheyenne Mountain, 6-4, 6-0.
Tarshis said the Cheyenne Mountain coaches had rave reviews for Christensen after the match, saying in the first set, she pushed Katen maybe the hardest Katen’s been pushed all year after a schedule of 5A opponents.
Christensen then moved down to the playback bracket after her loss and beat Audrey Wolff from Discovery Canyon, 7-6, 6-1. Christensen then lost to Lily Kate Fackelman from Air Academy in the playback semis, 7-5, 7-3.
Tarshis was proud of Christensen’s performance and said it showed she can compete at the state level. She’s already planning out her summer tournaments so that she’s ready to go even farther as a junior next year.
Another bright spot for the Demons was the No. 4 doubles pairing of sophomore Annabeth Hanson and senior Mary Jane Ramos.
The Demons won their first-round matchup against Grace Hartmann and Penelope Morris from Monarch, 6-4, 6-2. Hanson and Ramos then lost to eventual state runners-up Margaux Lively and Hallie Silverman from Kent Denver, 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Hanson and Ramos bounced back in the first playback with a win over Bri Paris and Sophia Lucero from Green Mountain, 6-2, 6-1. Hanson and Ramos then lost in the playback semis to Kinley Kilcoyne and Gabi Bean from Air Academy, 6-4, 6-1.
Durango’s No. 1 singles player, junior Jordan Kitchens, lost in the first round to Rebecca Napolitano from Mountain View, 6-3, 6-1.
“Jordan has made huge strides every season; she's probably been more successful playing one than she was playing two or three,” Tarshis said. “She's come a long way already and for her to really win at one, you have to dictate the match a little bit more. You can't hope that you'll get free points. Going into next season, Jordan really needs to figure out when the moments are that she needs to capitalize and take control of a match versus playing a lower level of singles.”
The Demons’ No. 1 doubles duo of freshman Ella Claassen and senior Molly Best lost in the first round to eventual state runner-up Annie Goldmanis and Nora Rapp from Kent Denver, 6-2, 6-0. Claassen and Best then lost in the playback bracket to Ashlyn Tafoya and Tatum Sharp from Thompson Valley, 6-4, 6-0.
Senior McKenzie Hayden and junior Madelyn Agre represented Durango in No. 2 doubles and lost in the first round to Avery Gibbs and Ainsley Cronin from Thompson Valley, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
On Friday, Tarshis said the team had the chance to watch the No. 1 singles semifinals. It was a good chance for the Demons to watch that high level of tennis since it’s hard to see that level in Durango.
The Demons should have a promising team next year with many key contributors like Kitchens, Christensen, Claassen, Agre, Hanson and others returning.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
