DENVER | The Class 5A girls tennis individual state tournament concluded Saturday at City Park and none of the championship or third-place matches included Aurora qualifiers.
By the time the first day of the three-day tournament ended on May 9, all four singles players and five doubles teams from Eaglecrest, Grandview and Regis Jesuit had been eliminated from championship contention with losses in the first round or quarterfinals, while one singles player and two doubles teams from Regis Jesuit were brought back into playbacks on the second day.
Sophomore Otylia Martino had a set lead in her No. 3 singles consolation semifinal that would have sent her to the third-place match, but Rock Canyon senior Lauren Vick rallied to win the final two sets. Vick — who also won the regular season meeting between the two players — went on to win the third-place match.
The all-senior No. 1 doubles team of Lucy Filippini and Brenna Radebaugh had their placing chances come to an end with a two-set loss to a duo from Valor Christian. The Raiders came a point from closing out a win in the second set and forcing a third, but lost in a tiebreak to conclude the match.
Senior Elise Holt and sophomore Helen Adams also got to the cusp of making the placing round, but fell in three sets to a Ralston Valley team in the consolation semifinals. The Regis Jesuit duo had defeated the same Mustangs team in three sets recently in the quarterfinals of the 5A team state tournament.
Regis Jesuit had first-round wins from the No. 2 doubles team of juniors Ebba Svard and Cait Carolan, as well as the No. 3 duo of senior Torri Loftus and junior Lily Beebe, but both teams were defeated in quarterfinals and were eliminated when their opponents lost in the semifinals. Junior Rebecca Gelfer and senior Mary Clare Watts at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, lost in their opening round matches.
Eaglecrest sophomore Natali Marshall fell in straight sets to Pine Creek junior Ava Lewis in the opening round of the tournament and did not get a playback as Lewis — who would rebound to place third — dropped her semifinal to eventual state champion Caroline Daugherty of Valor Christian. Marshall was the Raptors’ first state qualifier since 2016 and its first singles player to make state since 2014.
The Grandview No. 3 doubles team of seniors Maddie Mayer and Quincy Muntean — playing together for a second season — lost to Loftus and Beebe in an all-Aurora opener.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
