{"id":2443961,"date":"2019-05-08T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T05:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/williams-ahs-girls-tennis-head-to-state-tournament\/"},"modified":"2019-05-08T23:04:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T05:04:00","slug":"williams-ahs-girls-tennis-head-to-state-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/williams-ahs-girls-tennis-head-to-state-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"Williams, AHS girls tennis head to state tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sophomore Macy Hopkinson, with senior Mary Williams waiting her turn, practices Monday, May 6, 2019, at Snowmass Club, only days before the Aspen High School girls tennis team heads to the Class 3A state tennis championships, which get underway Thursday in Greeley. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong>
Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Aspen High School girls tennis team has a chance to do something it hasn\u2019t in recent memory, and that\u2019s possibly make a run at a state title. While it\u2019s still somewhat of a long shot, the Skiers actually have the numbers this spring to make it interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to have a big group. Just more opportunities for the girls to see what state is all about and come together as a team,\u201d AHS coach Steve Sand said. \u201cThere is more opportunity to rack up some points and get some wins. Competition is always tougher at state. It\u2019s just one match at a time. We will be playing some teams we haven\u2019t seen and the competition is going to be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aspen is sending nine of a possible 11 varsity players to the Class 3A state tennis championships this week in Greeley. Usually a three-day affair that was scheduled to start today, wet weather in the state forced CHSAA to make it a two-day tournament this year, beginning Friday and concluding Saturday.<\/p>\n

This is only the third year there has been a 3A classification for girls tennis, making it difficult to compare and contrast previous Aspen teams with this one. But other than some standout individuals, it isn\u2019t believed the Skiers have ever sent this large of a contingent to the state tournament in program history.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the first year of the 3A classification, Aspen finished seventh as a team behind a pair of singles players and a pair of doubles teams. Last spring, AHS tied for seventh as a team in 3A with five players having competed, that being all three singles players and a lone doubles team.<\/p>\n

This week, Aspen will have all three singles players again competing at state as well as its top three doubles teams for nine total players.<\/p>\n

AHS senior Mary Williams, who has been the team\u2019s No. 1 singles player since her freshman season, hopes a high team finish can help put Aspen girls tennis on the map.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a really good group of girls that get along and we all really want to work hard. But I think tennis, especially girls tennis, has been kind of pushed to the side a little bit at our school,\u201d Williams said. \u201cNot a lot of people know how good we actually are and I think this is proven with how many girls are going to states. I think with the girls that are here, we\u2019ll definitely be able to make a run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick look at the nine players Aspen has competing this week at the state championships in Greeley.<\/p>\n

Mary Williams, 1 singles<\/p>\n

If anyone has been there, done that, it\u2019s Williams. She\u2019s been the team\u2019s centerpiece for four years now and will look to conclude her AHS career by making a bit of noise at state. She\u2019s had arguably her best season as a Skier and certainly brings plenty of experience to Greeley.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard playing 1 singles because every single team has that one top player and I always have to play her. But I think it\u2019s benefited me a lot and it\u2019s made me tougher,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWhen I was a freshman I was trying to prove something, and I think I still am, but I think I have a lot of pressure come off of me because I know what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams was one-and-done as a freshman at state, losing 6-0, 6-4 to Denver North\u2019s Mia Oliver in the first round. This was in Class 4A, the year before 3A was created in girls tennis.<\/p>\n

As a sophomore in the new 3A classification, Williams won her first-round match before losing in the quarterfinals, but battled back to eventually take third at state. Her loss in the quarters came against Colorado Academy\u2019s Sammy Moore-Thomson, who eventually won the final over Steamboat Springs freshman Mae Thorp.<\/p>\n

Last spring, Williams again lost in the second round \u2014 to Oliver, of all people \u2014 but did not get a spot in the playback rounds. Peak to Peak\u2019s Trisha Somasundaram beat Thorp in the final.<\/p>\n

Thorp should be a familiar name, as Williams has faced her numerous times, including twice this season. Williams won both of their matchups in 2019, including in the regional final last week in Grand Junction.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe should be pretty confident based on her season,\u201d Sand said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to seeing what she can do. Again, she can only take care of her side of the net. We\u2019ll see how the other girls are focused and how they are playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams, who said she will attend Chapman University in Orange, California, and hopefully play tennis, is scheduled to have a rare first-round bye after her opponent pulled out. This means she will move straight to the quarterfinals and face either D\u2019Evelyn freshman Grace Li or Fountain Valley sophomore Isa Fernandez.<\/p>\n

Williams and Thorp have the potential to meet in the semifinals. Somasundaram is back to defend her title and is the only senior on her half of the bracket, opposite Williams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m expecting a lot of competition, but this year has definitely been my best year so I\u2019m expecting a lot more out of myself, too,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI\u2019ve definitely improved this year and I think regional finals really showed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macy Hopkinson, 2 singles<\/p>\n

Another regional champion, the sophomore is back at state for the second time. Competing at 3 singles a year ago, Hopkinson won her first-round match before losing 6-3, 6-4 to Holy Family\u2019s An Tran in the quarterfinals. She did not make the playbacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that 2 singles is harder, but I\u2019ve also gotten better so I think it evens out,\u201d Hopkinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit harder, too, because I\u2019m hoping to do better. I\u2019m just trying to focus really hard on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hopkinson will play Alameda senior Maria Ogaz in the first round.<\/p>\n

Karina Keller, 3 singles<\/p>\n

A junior, Keller made state as a freshman at No. 2 doubles alongside then-senior Grace Ferguson. The duo made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to a pair from D\u2019Evelyn who ended up winning the bracket. Keller and Ferguson lost in the playback finals to finish fourth.<\/p>\n

Playing doubles again last year, Keller came up a match short at regionals and didn\u2019t qualify for state. This is her first season playing singles for the Skiers.<\/p>\n

Keller will play Peak to Peak sophomore Tiffany Tran in the first round.<\/p>\n

Addy Walson and Bliss Pekkala, 1 doubles<\/p>\n

Walson, a junior, and Pekkala, a senior, have experience together as they went to state at No. 2 doubles last spring, losing in the second round to a team from Dawson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have some chemistry. They haven\u2019t played together a ton this year,\u201d Sand said. \u201cSo they kind of went into regionals not having played together for a few weeks. But they came together at regionals, did well, and now states.\u201d<\/p>\n

They will face University\u2019s Vanessa Gabaldon and Alexsei Vieyra in the first round.<\/p>\n

Olivia Burkley and Stef Wojcik, 2 doubles<\/p>\n

Burkley is a junior and Wojcik a sophomore, and the two joined Williams and Hopkinson as regional champions this spring. This will be Wojcik\u2019s first time at state, having played 4 doubles last year, while Burkley is headed back for the second time. She also went as a freshman in 2017 where she played 3 doubles alongside Pekkala, losing in the second round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely grown a lot,\u201d Burkley said. \u201cAt the beginning of the season we lost the first sets, usually, and we\u2019d have to come back and do tiebreaks. But we didn\u2019t do that once at regionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

They will face Ahn-Thu Le and Lauryn Parker of Prospect Ridge in the first round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of momentum, especially after winning regionals,\u201d Wojcik said. \u201cI know I\u2019m personally very excited and I\u2019m sure Olivia is, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quinn Ramberg and Virginia Tassi, 3 doubles<\/p>\n

Both juniors, Ramberg and Tassi are state newcomers. Tassi is actually an exchange student from Italy, who decided to join the AHS tennis team more or less for something to do and didn\u2019t think she\u2019d be playing in the state tournament.<\/p>\n

They will face off against Jill Kellick and Lauren Sauley of St. Mary\u2019s in the first round.<\/p>\n

acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sophomore Macy Hopkinson, with senior Mary Williams waiting her turn, practices Monday, May 6, 2019, at Snowmass Club, only days before the Aspen High School girls tennis team heads to the Class 3A state tennis championships, which get underway Thursday in Greeley. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times The Aspen High School […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2443961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-22 20:37:25","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443961\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}