High school tennis: Lone Peak girls regain top spot with 6A championship

There is some good tennis being played at the high school level in Utah County.

The players and coaches there are benefiting, and not even Saturday’s sour weather could stop the likely finish that was predicted in the 6A classification, where Lone Peak ended Skyridge’s five-year reign at the top.

Skyridge coach Ben Armstrong didn’t seem too disappointed, though. He proudly watched his daughter, Andi, claim the No. 1 singles title. However, fellow rivals Lone Peak and American Fork battled it out for the team championship, and the Knights finally earned the title after a series of obstructions caused by heavy rain that forced the annual tournament to be shared by two other nearby indoor facilities.

Lone Peak captured individual titles in No. 3 singles and both doubles divisions to earn 61 points, followed by American Fork (43), Skyridge (40), Bingham (28) and Corner Canyon (21).

It was the Knights’ first girls crown since 2019 after they won three straight from 2017-2019.

For Skyridge, it was the end of an era but the Falcons will likely be back. Armstrong noted his daughter was the only returning player who earned points from last year’s squad, and she again rolled through her division, finally dispatching sophomores Alexis Peterson of Lone Peak and Kamryn Newman of Bingham.

Andi Armstrong said the win was the biggest of her tennis career because it came in front of her friends and teammates. She said she has won several matches in club play but those usually came in front of a sparse crowd and didn’t impact her personality or popularity like a high-school competition.

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“I tried to apply pressure (to her opponent),” Andi Armstrong said. “Playing in front of a crowd is nerve-wracking and I just try to do what I do best and not make many mistakes.”

Skyridge has done exactly that for the past four seasons, and now it’s Lone Peak’s turn to play with a target on its back. The Knights weren’t sure they would emerge on top, but the team of Emmeline Smith and Ruby Bautista finished on top in No. 1 doubles and Ella Bradford and Ava Jensen handled their opponents in No. 2 doubles.

In both doubles matches, Lone Peak defeated American Fork in the finals. If the outcome had been reversed, the Knights might have still won but the score would have been significantly closer.

“These girls have been playing together since their freshman year,” said Lone Peak coach Roger Baumgartner. “We knew it would come down to doubles. We were pleasantly surprised how well we did in singles play to give us a chance to put it away with our doubles teams.”

Baumgartner was referring to sophomore Halle Kitchen, the second seed in No. 3 singles, who gained a lot of experience with a pair of 6-0, 6-1 wins on Thursday and then thrilled her teammates with two more convincing victories to set up Baumgartner with another of his many state championships in his lengthy coaching career.

6A state tournament

Team scores

1. Lone Peak, 61

2. American Fork, 43

3. Skyridge, 40

4. Bingham, 28

5. Corner Canyon, 21

6. Weber, 14

7. Davis, 11

7. Lehi, 11

7. Mountain Ridge 11

First singles championship

• No. 2 Andi Armstrong, Skyridge def. No. 1 Kamryn Newman, Bingham, 6-3, 6-3

Second singles championship

• No. 1 Sophia Leavitt, American Fork def. No. 2 Eden Conley, Lone Peak

Third singles championship

• No. 2 Halle Kitchen, Lone Peak def. No. 1 Allie Jenkins, American Fork, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6

First doubles championship

• No. 1 Emmeline Smith/Ruby Bautista, Lone Peak def. No. 2 Molly Jarvie/Elizabeth Ludlow, Skyridge

Second doubles championship

• No. 1 Ella Bradford/Ava Jensen, Lone Peak def. No. 3 Demi Dalton/Rylee Egbert, American Fork, 6-1, 6-0