Boulder – She’s not a Klingon who regards revenge as a dish best served cold, but Erin Sanders definitely wanted to hand some of it out at the 2007 Colorado Class 5A girls tennis tournament.
She might as well have had a giant vat and ladle the size of Rhode Island.
A year ago, she played at center court, a dream she had as a little girl who could barely pick up a racket.
She ended up losing, so her focus this season was to walk off as a champion.
On Friday, she knocked out 2006 No. 1 singles champion Veronika Wojakowska of Palmer in straight sets.
On Saturday, Sanders downed Pine Creek’s Simone Kalhorn, the 4A champion whose school moved up a class this season, 6-4, 6-3, to cap a sophomore season that sets her up as the favorite for the next two years.
Despite a rash of mis-hits and errors that had her talking to herself, Sanders reached down for strong forehands and backhands, and ran baseline to baseline to outlast Kalhorn.
“I just tried to move my feet and push back at her,” Sanders said. “(Kalhorn) is a strong player who hits the ball hard.”
Having lost to Kalhorn in an invitational in three sets down the stretch this season, Sanders also had success getting the ball deep, covered her half of the court like a blanket and survived by winning two of three longer games late in the second set that all but sealed it.
“I was so nervous,” Sanders said. “I did it by breathing. I got lucky and got it back.”
In fact, Kalhorn’s double fault clinched it for Sanders, who gleefully danced off the court with teammates, family and friends.
“The greatest thing about tennis is that there’s no time limit, so I went for it,” Sanders said.
Kalhorn, who will play next season at Syracuse, gutted out two match points to climb within 5-3 in the second set, but Sanders had enough winners to keep Kalhorn on the run.
“My head wasn’t in the game today, I don’t think,” Kalhorn said. “(Sanders) had a big forehand and good backhand and serve.”
Cherry Creek rolled to its 11th consecutive championship with its trademark – unmatched depth.
The Bruins’ Caroline Schnell and Rachel Loeb won at Nos. 2-3 singles, respectively, with Loeb taking her fourth consecutive championship (the others were at No. 1 doubles and two at No. 2 singles). She was 16-0 in state matches, and her father and uncle also were undefeated three- time champions at East four decades ago.
In addition, the Bruins’ Stacey Berlinger and Victoria Sargent won at No. 1 doubles, and Yasmin Fotovat and Caitlain Schnell won at No. 2 doubles.
Grand Junction’s Katie Aust and Alyssa Behrens teamed to win at No. 3 doubles, and Pine Creek’s Gina D’Silva and Jamie Pledger won at No. 4, which helped the Eagles (40 points) edge Chatfield by a point for second place.
TEAM SCORES
Cherry Creek 69, Pine Creek 40, Chatfield 39, Ponderosa 32, Grand Junction 27, Fairview 20, Poudre 14, Lewis-Palmer 12, Fort Collins 9, Air Academy 9, Heritage 4, East 3, Arapahoe 2, Monarch 2, Palmer 2, Boulder 1, Littleton 1, Rocky Mountain 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
No. 1 singles: Erin Sanders, Ponderosa, def. Simone Kalhorn, Pine Creek, 6-4, 6-3. No. 2: Caroline Schnell, Cherry Creek, def. Morgan Forsyth, Ponderosa, 6-1, 6-2. No. 3: Rachel Loeb, Cherry Creek, def. Ashley Camenson, Poudre, 6-0, 6-0.
No. 1 doubles: Victoria Sargent-Stacey Berlinger, Cherry Creek, def. Melissa Lemar-Kelly Pickens, Chatfield, 6-3, 6-1. No. 2: Caitlain Schnell-Yasmin Fotovat, Cherry Creek, def. Ali Grush-Dani Lutes, Chatfield, 6-1, 6-2. No. 3: Katie Aust-Alyssa Behrens, Grand Junction, def. Caitlyn Shafner-Corinne Hill, Cherry Creek, 6-2, 6-4. No. 4: Gina D’Silva-Jamie Pledger, Pine Creek, def. Anna Gleave-Molly Reynolds, Chatfield, 6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-2.
THIRD-PLACE MATCHES
No. 1 singles: Carolyn Warren, Fairview, def. Natalie Dunn, Poudre, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. No. 2: Ryann Warner, Pine Creek, def. Lindsey Sanders, Chatfield, 6-2, 6-0. No. 3: Kelsie Hiester, Lewis-Palmer, def. Sophie Vukovich, Heritage, 6-1, 6-2.
No. 1 doubles: Stephanie Todd-Sue Iwata, Air Academy def. Emily Ornanek-Cierra Hall, Grand Junction, 6-4, 7-5. No. 2: Audrey Keenan-Jenny Jessup, Grand Junction, def. Christine Pack-Julia Hubbard, Pine Creek, 6-4, 6-2. No. 3: Liz Templeton-Stacey Lundgren, Fairview, def. Jessica Gasparian-Erica Garfinkel, Fort Collins, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. No. 4: Stephanie Pepper-Bridgid Collins, Cherry Creek, def. Zabrina Jackson-Christina Ausler, Denver East, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3.
