SALT LAKE CITY — The Park City Miners girls tennis team walked onto the courts at Liberty Park Thursday with one thing in mind: repeat as 3A state champions. The Miners' young core of talented players helped lead the team to the 3A title last year, and the players did their part on day one this year with Park City sending all five qualifying players and pairs to the semifinals with little to no resistance.
The Miners' top singles player, sophomore Livi Rockwood, dominated on Day One, advancing to the semifinals while only losing one game in her two combined matches, while her twin sister Gabby Rockwood advanced with virtually no resistance. Taylor Matz, the Miners' player in the third singles bracket and the defending champ of the third singles bracket, also advanced to the semifinals with almost no resistance.
While the Miners' singles players dominated Day One, the story was much the same for the Park City doubles pairs. The Miners' young first doubles pair advanced to the semis after a tough quarterfinal match against a very spirited Dixie pair, while their second doubles team started a bit slow, losing the first set of their quarterfinal match against Richfield. However, the Miners' only qualifying seniors returned to dominate the second and third sets, sending them to the semifinals.
"I think they came out and did what they needed to do, we definitely had to get rid of some jitters, but I thought they handled it really well," Park City coach Heather Nicholas said when asked about her team's day one performance.
Despite the reigning champs' dominance on Day One, the day was not without its fair share of surprises. A big one was that first-year school Ridgeline advanced all three of its qualifying singles players to the semifinals with ease.
"It's a brand new school and I haven't seen any of the girls, their singles players stood out to me," Nicholas said.
The top contender of the southern schools is Desert Hills, which advanced players to the semifinals in four of the five brackets and ended Day One with nine points, ranking second only to Park City. First-year school Ridgeline sits in third with seven points scored on the first day.
3A state tournament
Thursday’s results
First singles
First round
Emily Sorensen, Richfield, def. Mariah Law, Union, 6-0, 6-1
Hattie Erekson, Pine View, def. Laren Sorge, Juan Diego, 6-0, 6-1
Naya Tillit, Ridgeline, def. Angela Crook, Dixie, 6-1, 6-0
Bailie Sandberg, Grantsville, def. Lydia Madsen, North Sanpete, 6-0, 6-0
Brielle Nielson, Snow Canyon, def. Sara Ortiz, Logan, 6-0, 7-6
Olivia Durbin, Juab, def. Kayleigh Burge, Stansbury, 6-1, 6-1
Livi Rockwood, Park City, def. Gabby Wall, Carbon, 6-0, 6-0
Erica Evans, Desert Hills, def. Sage Earl, Morgan, 6-0, 6-0
Quarterfinals
Erekson def. Sorensen, 6-0, 6-1
Tillit def. Sandberg, 6-0, 6-0
Durbin def. Nielson, 6-4, 6-4
Rockwood def. Evens, 6-0, 6-1
Second singles
First round
Grace Ericson, Morgan, def. Hannah Ostraff, North Sanpete, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Mo Behymer, Desert Hills, def. Chanda Bigelow, Stansbury, 6-0, 6-0
Gabby Rockwood, Park City, def. Shali Habibian, Snow Canyon, 6-0, 6-0
Robyn Reese, Richfield, def. Reagan Sorge, Juan Diego, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Candice Gubler, Hurricane, def. Lexi Colson, Grantsville, 6-2, 6-3
Katja Braden, Juab, def. Hannah Jenkins, Logan, 6-1, 6-2
Kristen Johnson, Ridgeline, def. Jewelianna Nielsen, Carbon, 6-1, 6-0
Brielle Callahan, Pine View, def. Lyndee Miller, Union, 6-0, 6-0
Quarterfinals
Behymer def. Ericson, 6-1, 6-1
Rockwood def. Reese, 6-1, 6-0
Gubler def. Braden, 6-1, 7-5
Johnson def. Callahan, 6-2, 6-3
Third singles
First round
Annie Spach, Logan, def. Brooke Kettle, Union, 6-0, 6-3
Kristen Morgan, Richfield, def. Annie Heaton, Dixie, 6-2, 6-1
Abbie Carmack, Desert Hills, def. Larissa Beatty, Canyon View, 6-2, 6-1
Lauren Hadley, Morgan, def. Victoria Fidler, Stansbury, 6-2, 7-5
Katie Werrett, Hurricane, def. Marinda Everitt, Juab, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
Taylor Matz, Park City, def. Sami Howa, Juan Diego, 6-1, 6-0
Emily Adams, Ridgeline, def. Brooklyn Butler, Grantsville, 6-0, 6-1
Julie Meyer, Pine View, def. Nicole Day, North Sanpete, 6-0, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Spach def. Morgan, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Carmack def. Hadley, 6-4, 6-1
Matz def. Werrett, 6-0, 6-1
Adams def. Meyer, 6-2, 6-2
First doubles
First round
Tess Alder/Lindsey Trussell, Stansbury, def. Hayden Harris/Sadee Singleton, Richfield, 7-5, 6-0
Alani Plumb/Allie Beck, Desert Hills, def. Taylor Uno/BreeAnn Mason, Juan Diego, 6-1, 6-2
Bethany Olsen/Cambrie Anderson, Logan, def. Charlotte Apple/Addy Southam, Snow Canyon, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
Carli Christensen/Kayla Johnson, Grantsville, vs. April Horrocks/Taelyn Ballow, Juab
Lydia Francom/Maddi King, Bear River, def. Hannah Obray/Charrise Snow, Pine View, 6-0, 6-3
Janey Christensen/McKenna Nielsen, North Sanpete, def. Jordan Ross/Savanna Price, Union, 6-1, 6-4
Julianna Signor/Brooklyn Thompson, Park City, def. Leilani Johnson/Ashlyn Wagner, Canyon View, 6-1, 6-0
Ashley Gadani/Ashley Stevens, Dixie, def. Lucy Lyons/Emily Pehrson, Ridgeline, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Quarterfinals
Plumb/Beck def. Alder/Trussel, 6-1, 6-0
Francom/King def. Christensen/Nielsen, 6-1, 6-1
Signor/Thompson def. Gadani/Stevens, 6-2, 6-3
Second doubles
First round
Paige Longhurst/Ali Wolford, Ridgeline, def. Megan Welburn/Liz Motes, Juab, 6-2, 7-5
Lyndsi Graf/Jocelyn Kennedy, Desert Hills, def. Kiersten Allred/Tricia Allred, Union, 6-1, 6-0
Marissa Linares/Maci Jackson, Grantsville, def. Rani Puriri/Ellie Ericksen, Snow Canyon, 6-2, 6-2
Mckenzie Woodruff/Emily Hamson, Bear River, def. Candice Clark/Hannah Howard, North Sanpete, 7-5, 7-6(5)
Caleigh Lydon/Marissa Zanetti, Park City, def. Tess Larkin/Kalli Beckstrom, Dixie, 6-1, 6-1
Kristin Crowther/Shandyn Harris, Richfield, def. Georgi Alley/Britni Walker, Juan Diego, 7-6(5), 6-2
Heather Roskelly/Elysa Christensen, Logan, def. Jennifer Munford/Bailey Sorensen, Canyon View, 6-1, 7-6
Kiralyn Mulloy/Ryann Blaser, Pine View, vs. Molly Johnson/Ashley Thompson, Stansbury
Quarterfinals
Graf/Kennedy def. Longhurst/Woolford, 6-4, 6-0
Linares/Jackson def. Woodruff/Hamson, 6-4, 6-0
Lydon/Zanetti def. Crowther/Harris, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4