Greenwood Village – The Cherry Creek Bruins continued their domination of boys tennis, holding off Boulder to win the Cherry Creek Invitational with five of seven first-place finishes Saturday.
The Bruins finished with 44 points to Boulder’s 31. The Panthers’ top singles player, sophomore Calix Van Lier, defeated Cherry Creek’s Doug Mayeta in the championship round. Mayeta, a junior who had to retire because of cramping in the third set, was up two games to one.
Van Lier had battled back to take the second set 6-3, after dropping the opening set 6-2. The third was shaping up to be tight before Mayeta’s suddenly cramping quadriceps and calves gave way to the heat and forced the retirement. Neither player had lost this season.
“It was definitely hard to counter what he was doing in the beginning,” Van Lier said. “I managed to stay in there and he eventually made mistakes. In the second set, I was hitting my passing shots well enough that I almost wanted him to come to the net, because I was making my shots.”
Said Boulder coach Gale Howard: “Van Lier is a kid who has just had a phenomenal summer. He knows how to win and he has got a phenomenal gift of anticipation. He’s always been a natural ball striker.”
Van Lier was sizing up Mayeta’s desire to charge the net and made adjustments with quicker, harder passing shots.
“I was trying to keep him deeper because he has a really good volley,” Van Lier said. “I figured if I could keep him on the baseline, he doesn’t have as strong a baseline game as he does a volley game.”
Said Mayeta: “I like to serve and volley whenever I get a short ball, or a midcourt ball. I got a little impatient and started going for too much and not just making the shot. I think I could have been more patient. After the first set, I got a little impatient and started rushing the net a little too much.”
Boulder also took the No. 2 singles championship, with Blake Howard defeating Regis’ Landon Hilker in the final match of the day 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4. Howard also suffered cramping near the end of the match, but persevered.
Once again, it was Cherry Creek’s unmatched depth that kept the Bruins on top as a team – notably in doubles.
“Our Nos. 1 (Chris Cooprider and Jake Schneiders) and 2 (Andy Benson and Jake Goldberg) doubles this year are so close,” Bruins coach Kirk Price said. “They could be the top two teams in Colorado at this point. Unfortunately, one of them has to play 2.”
