Final tennis matches played at home

Final tennis matches played at home

September 20, 2001

STAFF REPORT

Finally, some home cooking at last. The Montezuma-Cortez High School boys tennis are looking at playing three straight matches at Parque de Vida Tennis Courts. The Panthers will host Fruita-Monument at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, host Montrose at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, and Durango on Sept. 29, ending the regular season.

The Panthers, who have not competed at home since way back on Aug. 25, are coming off competing at the annual Western Slope Tournament in Grand Junction.

The Western Slope Tennis Invitational team title was out of reach for the Panthers, but they did get a chance to compete against and see some of the state’s top players and teams.

Class 5A top-ranked Cherry Creek beat Fruita-Monument in four of the five championship finals on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Elliott Tennis Center at Mesa State College. The Bruins won the team title with 26 points followed by Fruita with 16 and Grand Junction with 12. Cherry Creek won at No. 2 singles and at all four doubles positions. Six of the seven were pushed to a third set, with the Bruins winning four and losing two. Fruita played in four of the three-set matches, winning one.

A total of 16 teams from all over the state participated. Of those 16 teams, only four were Class 4A with no 3A squads.

The Panthers were without the services of top singles player Billy Innis who was injured in a motorcycle accident.

No. 2 singles Jeff Anderson had a good tournament. He dispatched his Arvada-Overland opponent in two straight sets in the first round. He fell behind in the second set but pulled out in the tiebreaker in which MCHS head coach Jim Harkendorff called, "gritty tennis." Anderson won 7-6, 7-6.

In the second and third rounds, Anderson lost to Cherry Creek and Ralston Valley, respectively. Harkendorff reported that Anderson was never out of those matches until the end. He lost to Cherry Creek II 2-6, 1-6. He fell to Ralston Valley 1-6, 4-6.

Troy Tanner, no. 3 singles, faced two fine opponents from Cherry Creek and Overland. In the first two rounds, he lost both. He was blitzed by Creek 0-6, 0-6 but played better before falling to Overland 1-6, 3-6.

"In the second set of the second match, Troy exhibited some great movement and shot-making to make the set interesting," he said.

The no. 3 doubles team of David Wilcken and Noah Rauscher narrowly lost to Steamboat Springs, going down in a tiebreaker in the he second set. Then in the consolation bracket, they were schooled by a dominating Niwot team in the afternoon. Wilcken-Rauscher lost 4-6, 6-7 to Steamboat and fell to Niwot 0-6, 0-6.

Playing at the no. 4 doubles team were Sean Carey and Seth Hollar.

"They played well in the tournament but couldn’t match the consistency of Cherry Creek and Durango in the first two rounds," Harkendorff commented.

Carey-Hollar lost 0-6, 1-6 to Cherry Creek and then fell in a tough match, 3-6, 4-6 to Durango.

Regionals are looming ahead on the schedule for the Panthers. It will be held Oct. 3-5 in Grand Junction. State is set for Oct. 11-14 in Pueblo.