The Durango High School girls tennis team couldn’t string enough shots together to beat Grand Junction at home on Friday. The Tigers won 6-1.
Durango fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League. Grand Junction improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League.
“It was a tough day,” Durango head coach Darren Tarshis said. “It started out tough; we lost the first set in five of our six matches pretty quickly. It was a rough start but we had a couple of positions battle back which was nice to see … Grand Junction is tough this year. They have a lot of talent; they’ve got a freshman in their number one spot so that’s always a big boost to a team … I didn’t think we played poorly, but the competition was tough.”
In the No. 1 singles match, Grand Junction freshman Maridie Schmidt beat Durango junior Jordan Kitchens in two sets, 6-2, 6-0.
Kitchens said it wasn’t her best day on the court and she struggled to find a rhythm. In practice, Kitchens doesn’t feel any pressure and swings freely but in the matches it’s different.
Schmidt was very consistent, placed the ball very well and moved very well, according to Kitchens. She set up the points a lot better than Kitchens.
“I served pretty well; I’m happy with that,” Kitchens said. “The games I did win were with my serve. There are always some good shots in a really bad match and so I definitely had some shots I was proud of.”
Kitchens said she’s still trying to improve her tennis IQ and how to play smarter to formulate points.
Anara Munkhtogoo from Grand Junction beat Durango sophomore Natalie Christensen in No. 2 singles in two sets, 7-5, 6-2.
In No. 3 singles, Grand Junction’s Abigail Kearl beat Durango senior Rose Hinds in two sets, 6-4, 6-1.
“She was a challenging player to play because she didn’t hit the ball super hard but had a technique of a floater shot that was hard to return sometimes,” Hinds said about Kearl. “When you get balls like that, you have to generate the pace and it can be easy to hit into the net and out. Overall, she was a consistent player but I’m happy with how I played and I’m going to come back and beat her tomorrow.”
Hinds said she scored her points when she was patient and waited for Kearl to make a mistake. She had some good lob shots when Kearl came to the net.
The Animas High School senior hopes to incorporate a slice serve into her game in the rematch against Kearl on Saturday. At this point of the season, Hinds wants to strengthen the things she knows she’s already good at.
Hinds hopes to go to state after falling short last season in doubles.
“I feel good,” Hinds said. “It’s a little sad that it’s my last season and I enjoy the sport so much. The girls on the team have really been a community for me.”
In No. 1 doubles, Grand Junction’s Grace and Elle DeHerrera beat Durango senior Molly Best and freshman Ella Claassen in two sets 6-0, 6-1.
The first match to go to three sets was in No. 2 doubles. The Grand Junction duo of Eliza Bell and Abigail Young beat Durango senior McKenzie Hayden and junior Madelyn Agre in three sets, 6-0, 0-6, 7-5.
In No. 3 doubles, Grand Junction’s Molly Moquin and Piper Hall beat Demons seniors McCarthy Thibodeau and Lucy Flores in two sets, 6-4, 7-6.
The one win for Durango came in No. 4 doubles when Durango sophomore Annabeth Hanson and senior Mary Jane Ramos beat Grand Junction’s Aida Munkhtogoo and Kendra Tooker in three sets 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
“We realized that if we went down the line, they couldn’t really get that and they couldn’t return it, ” Hanson said. “They couldn’t return super deep shots so we did that with lots of lobs. Then we kept it away from their net player because they were super strong there.”
Hanson was happy with how she hit it down the line. She said she really enjoys playing with Ramos and that Ramos keeps her head in the game. Ramos also analyzes the game very well.
The Demons play against Grand Junction again on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
