PUEBLO | Freshman Haley Chirico continued her outstanding debut season for Regis Jesuit at the Class 4A girls state tennis tournament, winning her first two matches at Pueblo City Park.
Chirico was the lone Regis Jesuit player to advance to Friday’s semifinals, which are set for 8 a.m. — an hour earlier than originally scheduled due to weather concerns — while No. 1 singles player Shelby Cerkovnik and the No. 4 doubles team of Erica Dodson and Anna Finch were stopped in the quarterfinals.
Playing in her first state tournament and coming off a regional championship, Chirico wasted little time with her initial opponent, blanking Durango’s Ellen Southworth, 6-0, 6-0. She got more of a challenge from Peak to Peak’s Katherine Lin in the quarterfinals, but prevailed 6-3, 6-2.
Chirico is set to face Cheyenne Mountain’s Payton Fielding in the semifinals with a berth in the championship match, scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday pending weather.
Cerkovnik played a lot of tennis on the first day of the tournament, winning a three-set first round contest and then took a set lead against Cheyenne Mountain’s Lauren Renjard in the quarterfinals, only to see the Indians standout rally and win the match in the third.
A Renjard win in the semifinals brings Cerkovnik into the playback bracket.
A significant loss for the Raiders took place at No. 1 doubles, where seniors Kerbi Brisch and Lilly Iacino lost 6-3, 6-4 to Emily Erickson and Samantha Sheets of Thompson Valley in the first round, which put an end to a two-year championship streak for Brisch. She won the No. 2 doubles state title in 2010 and the No. 1 crown last season with graduated partner Megan Harrison.
Brisch and Iacino are still alive for a playback if Erickson and Sheets win their Friday semifinal. The No. 4 duo of Erica Dodson and Anna Finch can also get a playback with one more victory by the team they lost to in the quarterfinals, Niwot’s Maura Derr and Isabelle Stafford.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
2012 CLASS 4A GIRLS STATE TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Team scores (through quarterfinals): Cheyenne Mountain 21, D’Evelyn 16, Kent Denver 10, Thompson Valley 9, St. Mary’s Academy 7, Niwot 6, Colorado Academy 5, Regis Jesuit 5, Broomfield 4 Steamboat Springs 4, Holy Family 4, Mullen 3, Valor Christian 3, Berthoud 3, Longmont 3, Eaton 2, Pueblo Central 1, Pueblo West 1, Aspen 1, Peak to Peak 1
AURORA INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
No. 1 singles — Quarterfinals: Lauren Renjard (Cheyenne Mountain) def. Shelby Cerkovnik (Regis Jesuit), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; First round: Cerkovnik def. Eva-Lou Edwards (Durango), 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
No. 2 singles — Quarterfinals: Haley Chirico (Regis Jesuit) def. Katherine Lin (Peak to Peak), 6-3, 6-2; First round: Chirico def. Ellen Southworth (Durango), 6-0, 6-0
No. 3 singles — First round: Kristen Sullivan (Cheyenne Mountain) def. Amanda Lilly (Regis Jesuit), 6-1, 6-1
No. 1 doubles — First round: Erickson/Sheets (Thompson Valley) def. Kerbi Brisch/Lilly Iacino (Regis Jesuit), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 doubles — First round: Booth/Dansky (Kent Denver) def. Jordan Stemper/Rachel Williams (Regis Jesuit), 7-5, 7-5
No. 4 doubles — Quarterfinals: Derr/Stafford (Niwot) def. Erica Dodson/Anna Finch (Regis Jesuit), 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; First round: Dodson/Finch def. Zoller/Sheets (Thompson Valley), 6-3, 6-3