Powered by a regional championship victory at No. 2 singles from Lily Chick, the Durango High School girls tennis team finished second at the 4A Region 8 championship after two days of play in Grand Junction.
Chick was one of six Demons to qualify for the state tournament. Durango finished with a team score of 26 points, 12 ahead of Montrose and 13 behind regional champion Grand Junction. Grand Junction Central finished fourth in the four-team region with nine points.
Chick was the third seed in the No. 2 singles bracket, but she beat Montrose’s second-seeded player 6-0, 6-1. She then squared off with the No. 1 seed from Grand Junction and secured a 6-2, 6-4 win to claim the regional title.
Durango’s Emma Hackett also qualified for state at No. 1 singles. Also a No. 3 seed, Hackett beat her Montrose foe 6-4, 6-4 in her first match before she fell 6-2, 6-1 to a Grand Junction player in the championship match. Hackett had to play a third match against Grand Junction Central and punched her ticket to the state tournament with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.
The No. 1 doubles team of Laura Clark and Rebecca Bowers qualified for state with a second-place regional finish. The duo had the No. 2 seed and beat No. 3 Montrose 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals before a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Grand Junction in the title match. Bowers and Clark then met Grand Junction Central in a playback match and won 6-3, 6-0 to qualify for state.
Durango’s No. 3 doubles team of Jenna Baker and Anna Fenberg also fought hard to qualify for state as the fourth-seed at regionals. After a 6-0, 6-4 loss to the eventual champion Grand Junction, the Demon duo played Montrose in the third-place match and won 6-3, 7-6 (6-1). Baker and Fenberg then played Grand Junction Central in a playback match and won 6-3, 7-5 to qualify for state.
At No. 3 singles, Durango’s Emma Jaber was eliminated from state contention after a tough three-set loss to Montrose (5-7, 6-3, 6-2), but she did win the third-place match 6-1, 6-1 against Grand Junction Central.
Durango’s No. 2 doubles team of Mia Boughton and Celia Chick fell in three sets (1-6, 6-2, 6-0) to Montrose in the first round and dropped another three-set match (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) to Central.
Maddy Gleason and Amanda Whidden fell at No. 4 doubles to Grand Junction 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinal and then beat Montrose 6-3, 6-2 to place third.
Durango competed in the smallest regional with only four schools, while one region had nine schools and several others had seven or more.
The CHSAA state championships will be held May 9-11 at Pueblo City Park.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
