When the season started, the Durango girls tennis team didn’t even know if it would be able to play without a head coach on staff. At the end of the regular season, four girls will represent the Demons at state.
The Demons finished in fourth place as a team at the Class 4A Region 8 tennis tournament at Canyon View Courts in Grand Junction, and two doubles teams qualified for the CHSAA Class 4A state tournament next Thursday-Saturday at Pueblo City Park.
The team of junior Chloe West and freshman Emma Hackett claimed first place at No. 3 doubles Saturday. Hackett and West will be accompanied by junior Ruby DeCora and freshman Lily Chick, as they took first at No. 4 doubles.
“This feels truly rewarding,” Durango head coach Sue Lawton said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We had a lot of depth on the team. The girls worked hard and were committed to the season. They really rose to the occasion to make it happen.”
Hackett and West were took their first match against Delta by a score of 6-3, 6-4. They backed that up with a 6-1, 6-3 win against a team from Aspen. The third and final match against Steamboat Springs ended in a 6-3, 6-4 victory to send the pair to state.
“This combination worked well for them this season,” Lawton said. “They were tough to beat, and we are hoping that’s true at state as well.”
The win for Chick and DeCora was a pleasant surprise to Lawton and the Durango coaching staff. They cruised through Thursday’s matches as they took down Delta 6-0, 6-1, and Paonia 6-2, 6-3.
Before the team could bask in their momentum, Chick had a bout with a stomach bug that gave her flu-like symptoms Thursday night, and the symptoms lasted around 10 hours. When Friday morning’s match with Steamboat Springs arrived, Chick dug deep and helped her team win 7-6, 6-3.
“It took them a little while to figure out how to play a team with a 6-foot tall girl,” Lawton said. “But they did figure it out and won.”
Durango finished with 52 points. Steamboat Springs came in first, Montrose took second and Aspen finished in third.
The No. 1 doubles team of seniors Ellie Gervais and Hailee Pritchard took third place and was named as an alternate at state.
Juniors Jenna Engelken and Emily West also took third place for Durango for the No. 2 doubles team and also will have a chance as alternates if called upon.
DHS junior Maggie Hackett played three matches and took fourth place at No. 2 singles. Senior Hannah Liberman was knocked out by Aspen’s Olivia Carr to finish her season at No. 3 singles, and senior Sarah Harrelson was bounced in No. 1 singles by Montrose’s Miciah Nickols.
Before the season, Durango seemed a long ways away from sending two doubles teams to state. Lawton and assistant coach Linda Fitts-Liberman assumed the shoes of retired coach Dave Weisfeldt to lead Durango in 2016, and Wesifedlt provided help, too. The make-shift coaching staff excelled in motivating the team.
“I’m really proud of our girls,” Lawton said. “For a team that almost didn’t have a coach or a season, they did quite well.”
The Class 4A state tennis brackets will be released on next week. First place finishers at the regional tournament will be projected to have a higher seed.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
