Vail Christian girls tennis qualifies entire lineup to Colorado 3A individual state championships
The Saints will also compete in the 3A team state semifinals at Homestead Court Club on May 7
Kirsten Webster/Courtesy photo
For the third-straight year, the Vail Christian tennis team is sending its entire lineup to the Colorado 3A individual state tournament.
“I am so proud of our girls,” head coach J.D. Webster stated. “They won four state championships last year and all 11 players are going to state again this year. We are in the semis as a team. The future is bright for Vail tennis 鈥� we are truly blessed.”
In 2022, the team 鈥� which pulls from all four area high schools 鈥� competed as Vail Mountain School. The Gore Rangers swept all seven finals at the 3A Region 8 championships. That squad also did some trailblazing at the state championships, advancing athletes to finals Saturday for the first time in program history. Jenna Elalayli and Juliet Studness earned silver in the No. 3 doubles, Gracie and Jessie Allen claimed No. 1 doubles bronze and Anna Baker and Kamryn Mitchell rallied for a No. 4 doubles bronze as well.
The program shifted to Vail Christian last year and the Saints repeated their region dominance. At state, Heidi Iverson and Sofia Elalayli won the No. 4 doubles state title, and Aria Webster and Mitchell claimed the No. 2 doubles crown.
The 2024 3A Region 8 championships were held Thursday and Friday at Canyon View Park in Grand Junction. Studness and Iverson claimed victories in No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, and Jessie Allen finished runner-up in the No. 1 singles position. The Saints also claimed wins in No. 2 (Alexa Blanch and Sabrina Nabonsal), 3 (Carys Highum and Olivia Zajac) and 4 (Linnea Iverson and Grace Armstrong) doubles. Summer Sveum and Sofia Elalayli also qualified to state after finishing second in the No. 1 doubles slot.
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“Everyone played their hardest and did amazing,” Allen said.
The Saints aren’t just cleaning up on the individual side of things either.
“We are more than a tennis team,” said assistant coach Fran Blanch. “We are a family.”
In the first round of the 3A team state tournament on April 24, No. 2-seeded Vail Christian swept No. 15 Timnath 7-0. No. 7 Eaton defaulted to the Saints to set up a semifinal match against No. 3 Peak to Peak on Tuesday at Homestead Court Club in Avon. The winner will face either No. 1 D’Evelyn or No. 4 Colorado Academy.
The individual state championships are May 9-11 at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. If the Saints defeat Peak to Peak, they would advance to the team state championships on May 14 at Denver Tennis Park.
“Next weekend will be challenging,” Allen said. “But I believe we all can have great success.”
