Greenwood Village – Saturday’s Cherry Creek Invitational fielded teams from just seven schools. But as the two best teams in Classes 5A and 4A and the four best individuals butted heads, the meet took on more meaningful implications.
With a wide-open field statewide, the honor of best Colorado player is up for grabs. And again, a Colorado Springs player is poised for the top spot.
Air Academy’s Tabatha Knop handled Cheyenne Mountain’s Christina Cutter in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, for the No. 1 singles title. Knop, undefeated this season, has now beaten Cutter twice in two weeks, after a 6-2, 6-3 victory April 14.
“My ground strokes were really working well and I was keeping the ball in play,” Knop, a senior, said. “Shots are just going my way right now.”
Knop went up 3-0 in the second set, only to see Cutter score the next two games. But Knop hit a backhand cross court past Cutter and one down the line to gain momentum and eventually rolled through the final three games.
Knop earlier took down Cherry Creek’s Greer Satherlie in the semifinals, 6-3, 7-5. Satherlie owns 5A state titles at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and has qualified for the state finals the past three seasons. Knop is the defending No. 2 singles champion in 5A.
Cutter, a runner-up at No. 1 singles in 4A last year, defeated Kent Denver’s Catherine Duboc in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-3. Cutter also took three sets to beat her classification rival Friday in a dual match.
“It’s been a tough few days,” Cutter said. “but, hopefully, it will get me in shape and ready to go for state.”
Cutter lost in the 4A state championship last season to Nicole Leimbach of Colorado Springs’ Pine Creek.
But with Leimbach, the consensus best player last year, and Cherry Creek’s Allie Shafner, the 5A champion, both gone to the collegiate ranks, the designation of the state’s best player remains open.
Knop realizes she may be next in line, but: “There is still going to be a lot of great players at state,” she said.
Said Air Academy coach Jeanette Paddock: “This is a good testing ground. But there is only one state tournament. The record books won’t show what we did here, but they will show what we do at state.”
At No. 2 singles, Kent Denver’s Lauren Miller outlasted Cherry Creek’s Rachel Loeb, 6-3, 6-4. And Cheyenne Mountain’s Casey Wetzig defeated Creek’s Elizabeth Marsico at No. 3 singles.
Cherry Creek won the team title, followed by Cheyenne Mountain and Kent Denver.
Team scores – Cherry Creek 34, Cheyenne Mountain 25, Kent Denver 20, Air Academy 15, Cherry Creek ‘II’ 10, Chatfield 9, Littleton 9, Columbine 3.
Championship matches
No. 1 singles – Tabatha Knop, AA, def. Christina Cutter, CM, 6-3, 6-2; No. 2 – Lauren Miller, KD, def. Rachel Loeb, CC, 6-3, 6-4; No. 3 – Casey Wetzig, CM, def. Elizabeth Marsico, CC, 6-1, 6-4. No. 1 doubles – Macey-Berlinger, CC, def. Fox-Smith, KD, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; No. 2 – M. Downing-Shafner, CC, def. Rubley-Gagner, CM, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5); No. 3 – C. Downing-Swinehart, CC, def. Grush-Pickens, Chat., 6-4, 6-4; No. 4 – D. Downing-Schnell, CC, def. Seiler-Sylvester, CM, 6-1, 6-2.
Third-place matches
No. 1 singles – Catherine Duboc, KD, def. Greer Satherlie, CC, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1; No. 2 – Tiffany Knop, AA, def. Cayley Wetzig, CM, 10-2; No. 3 – Katie Brown, AA, def. Leslie Harmoush, CC2, 6-2, 6-1. No. 1 doubles – Ke. Knop-S. Shoptaugh, AA, def. Bryant-Cuje, L, 6-2, 6-1; No. 2 – Apted-Bradley, Chat., def. Aird-Pruet, CC2, 7-5, 6-2; No. 3 – Flaks-King, CM, def. Brezinski-Brugioni, KD, 6-1, 2-2 (ret.); No. 4 – Bramley-Collins, CC2, def. Emmett-Keirns, L, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4.
