Pueblo – Simone Kalhorn made herself at home Thursday at the City Park Tennis Complex.
It was the first action in the Class 4A girls state tennis tournament for the Pine Creek High School junior, and she put on a nice display of talent at No. 1 singles.
She started with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Madie Kern of Broomfield in the opening round and then a 6-0, 6-1 win over Annie Housman of Pueblo South in the quarterfinals.
Kalhorn was something of a mystery girl Thursday. This is her first year of high school play after living and training in Las Vegas as a sophomore.
“I missed tryouts when I was a freshman and the coach wouldn’t let me play,” Kalhorn said about her first year at the Colorado Springs school in 2004. That was the season Pine Creek’s Nicole Leimbach completed her four-year reign at No. 1 singles, but Kalhorn wasn’t on hand to see Leimbach’s march to her final title.
It’s a new regime under Pine Creek second-year coach Dave Lehman, and he’s thrilled to have a top-flight player like Kalhorn this year, helping lead a strong Pine Creek team.
“We started building last year and we were undefeated in dual matches this season,” Lehman said. “Every team needs a dominant player like Simone, and she’s got a great attitude.”
Pine Creek defeated always-strong Cheyenne Mountain 5-2 in dual play this season and qualified its entire lineup for the state tournament.
Kalhorn defeated Cheyenne Mountain’s Casey Wetzig in that dual match, and it was the only three-set match for the Pine Creek ace this year in compiling a 17-0 record.
Wetzig, two-time No. 3 singles state champ, will face Lauren Miller of Kent Denver in one No. 1 singles semifinal today, and Kalhorn faces Jodi Ciarvella of Mullen.
Kent Denver, four-time defending 4A champion, opened with 10 points, but Mullen and Cheyenne Mountain duked it out for the lead in the team standings with 13 points apiece.
“Since the final day of state last year, we’ve been working toward this,” Mullen coach Brett Shirley said. “We had the strength and the players in the right places.”
The Mustangs, who won the 2001 4A title, had nine returning state qualifiers and advanced six into today’s semifinals, including Ciarvella at No. 1 singles.
She will have her hands full with Kalhorn today. The Pine Creek standout said she worked hard on improving her forehand last year in Las Vegas.
“I wanted to serve and volley more here, and I did that,” Kalhorn said. She moved Housman around at will in their quarterfinal match, coming to the net successfully.
“I try to hit angle shots, and that usually forced them to pop it up,” Kalhorn said.
“Just when you think you’re good, there’s somebody better,” Housman said after losing to Kalhorn. “She’s the best I’ve ever played.”
