Tabatha and Tiffany Knop, two home-schooled athletes who play for the Air Academy tennis team, were the only two Class 5A state champions last season who didn’t play for Cherry Creek.
Both twins moved up a position this year, and though the talk has been about a more wide-open field when the 5A and 4A state tournaments commence today, the competition is deep.
“(Tabatha Knop) is probably the favorite at No. 1 singles, but there are about five contenders there. There are plenty of formidable teams,” said Cherry Creek coach John Gibas, whose team is favored to win a 15th team title in 17 years.
The 5A tournament will be played at Denver’s Gates Tennis Center, and 4A will be at Pueblo City Park, with the finals held Saturday.
In the 5A No. 1 singles bracket, Tabatha Knop and Cherry Creek’s Greer Satherlie would not meet until the final. If they get that far. Satherlie finished second at No. 3 singles last year, and Knop won the No. 2 singles title.
But Lewis-Palmer junior Christin Thompson and Fairview’s Sarah Templeton sit on Satherlie’s side of the bracket.
At No. 2 singles, Tiffany Knop, the No. 3 singles champion last year, lost a match and possibly some confidence to Cherry Creek sophomore Rachel Loeb.
The names change, but not the teams, when it comes to favorites at No. 3 singles. Cherry Creek’s Elizabeth Marisco and Air Academy’s Katie Brown are two of the top contenders.
The doubles competition, which the Bruins owned last year, could be more interesting this time around. Columbine’s Jenni Gasparrini and Lindsay Hornbecker won their region and could have the advantage going into today.
But the Bruins’ Christina Macey and Stacey Berlinger, now teaming together, both won doubles titles last year, Macey at No. 2 and Berlinger at No. 3.
Of the four doubles positions, Cherry Creek lost just one match all season, to 4A Mullen.
“Our doubles teams are very strong,” Gibas said. “That’s not to say they can’t be beat. Teams like Grand Junction come over here and hang their noses right on the net.”
At the 4A level, Pine Creek’s Nicole Leimbach left the high school ranks with a 60-0 record without dropping a set before moving on to become the Pac-10 player of the year at the University of Southern California.
That opens the door at No. 1 singles for three seniors with seemingly equal chances to win.
Cheyenne Mountain’s Christina Cutter was runner-up last season, Kent Denver’s Catherine Duboc was third and Pueblo South’s Sarah Drummond went fourth.
All three are back for another shot at the title.
“Those are the three musketeers,” Pueblo South coach Norm Vail said. “They have all taken the back seat the last few years. It’s going to be good to watch.”
The Nos. 2 and 3 singles champions both return to defend their titles. Kent Denver junior Lauren Miller looks close to untouchable at No. 2, and Cheyenne Mountain’s Casey Wetzig is favored at No. 3.
Kent Denver, winner of the past three team titles, and Cheyenne Mountain, which won nine titles from 1991-2000, are the team favorites. Greeley West, Mullen and Ralston Valley also have potential.
“Cheyenne Mountain and Kent Denver are definitely strong again, but maybe they are not quite as deep as they were last year,” Pueblo Centennial coach John Boshard said. “There might be room for a third team to vie for it.”
