Lehi Sports
Pioneer girls tennis moves up at region meet
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School girls tennis team entered the Region 3 tournament as the fifth seed but finished in fourth place after the action at Corner Canyon High School on Sept. 18 and 19.
In the first round, the Pioneers played the host Chargers, who were the No. 4 seed, and defeated them 4-3. They then had to play No. 1 Lone Peak. The Knights won 7-0 and later went on to edge No. 2 Skyridge 4-3 to earn the tournament title. No. 3 American Fork swept Lehi in the third-place match.
In the round against Corner Canyon, senior Sadie DeSpain defeated Evelyn Marsh 6-4, 7-5 at No. 1 Singles. “She played such smart tennis and stayed really focused to finish out the match,” said Coach Christina Bowman.
“Junior Ella Gonzalez earned her first win at Second Singles with a hard-fought victory over Ruchi Pawar 7-6 (7-5), 6-1,” the coach said.
At No. 3 Singles, sophomore Kinley Olson defeated Gabrielle Walker 6-3, 6-2. “Kinley has shown great resolve in this position, always fighting hard to the end, win or lose,” Bowman said.
Junior Abigail Cox fell in the Fourth Singles match 4-6, 0-6. “Abigail is such a competitor,” the coach said. “She played on our development team last year and has been holding her own in this last varsity spot.”
At No. 1 Doubles, the team of senior Ryah Nielson and junior Liberty Salcido bowed out 1-6, 2-6. “This is such a hard line to win, but Ryah and Liberty are improving their game each time they get out on the court,” Bowman said.
In Second Doubles, junior Lila Burnett and senior Chloe Symkoviak lost 1-6, 5-7. “This was so fun to watch,” the coach said. “They made key strategic changes and nearly won the second set.”
The No. 3 Doubles Team of junior Breckyn Holindrake and sophomore Claire Thatcher rose to the occasion for a victory against the Chargers 6-0, 6-3 to help secure the higher-than-forecasted finish.
“This team is our winningest doubles team due to their high energy and aggressive play. We look forward to watching their success soar next year,” Bowman concluded.
The brackets for the 6A state tournament will be released on Thursday (Sept. 25). The first round will be played Saturday (Sept. 27) and the final four rounds will be played at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City next week on Oct. 2 and 4.
