Pueblo – Just 32 minutes into the simultaneously contested Class 4A state girls tennis finals Saturday, the No. 1 singles crown was established and Cheyenne Mountain was on its way to a record-tying singles sweep.
Indians senior Casey Wetzig whipped Greeley West freshman Mattison Sperry 6-0, 6-0 for the No. 1 singles title before the others had finished their first sets. Cheyenne Mountain’s Mary Russell (No. 2 singles) and Alana Humpal (No. 3 singles) followed with victories to make the Indians – who clinched the team championship in Friday’s semifinals – the second team in girls state tennis history to sweep the singles finals in the same year.
Cherry Creek’s Chris Bowers, Karen McIntosh and Kristy Abel produced the sweep in 1990, the final year when all schools were in one classification.
“This surpasses our expectations,” said Indians coach Dave Adams, whose team also won two doubles titles and placed third or better in all seven divisions. “At the end of this it might look easy and that we were really dominant, but the girls won a lot of close matches.”
Wetzig (19-2), who also won two state titles at No. 3 singles, became opportunistic about her match with the 5-foot, 98-pound Sperry (18-3) during warm-ups.
“I usually figure out things in warm-up, and I knew she had the type of game I like to play against,” Wetzig said. “I knew I needed to keep the balls in play and wait for my opportunities. And she was hitting me a lot of short balls, and that’s my advantage. It’s very easy for me to come in and put them away.”
Sperry, who shocked previously undefeated Allie Hefter of Niwot in a three-set quarterfinal thriller Thursday, was playing with a sore hamstring. So in addition to having huge disadvantages in experience and size, she was hurt and didn’t spend much time at the net.
“I got the vibe that she didn’t like to come in (to the net), so I figured I had to play her from the baseline, keep everything in play and hit strong, powerful shots when I could,” Wetzig said.
Said Sperry: “My timing was off, but that’s because she hit harder than I’ve seen. She places it, too. She’s good….I didn’t think I had it in me to get this far, but now that I know it, I can work better towards next year.”
Wetzig, whose older brother Chris captured Cheyenne Mountain’s first singles crown in 1999, will attend Azusa Pacific in Southern California this fall.
Russell capped the singles sweep after losing the first set against Steamboat Springs senior Breanne Murray. Russell, the 2005 No. 3 singles champion, won 5-7, 6-0, 6-2.
“I figured I had nothing better to do, to hit the ball and help make history for our team,” Russell said. “I wasn’t worried. I was just playing one point at a time.”
TEAM SCORES
Cheyenne Mountain 83, Greeley West 49, Niwot 35, Steamboat Springs 33, Ralston Valley 16, Mullen 14, Broomfield 12, Fountain Valley 11, Fossil Ridge 9, Regis 8, Kent Denver 6, Colorado Academy 3, Pueblo West 3, Montrose 2, Aspen 2, Pueblo Centennial 1, Pueblo County 1, Rock Canyon 1.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
No. 1 singles: Casey Wetzig, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Mattison Sperry, Greeley West, 6-0, 6-0. No. 2: Mary Russell, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Breanne Murray, Steamboat Springs, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2. No. 3: Alana Humpal, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Jennah Kitchell, Greeley West, 6-4, 6-2.
No. 1 doubles: Meha Semwal-Kristina Barber, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Katie Anselmo-Molly Doyle, Ralston Valley, 7-5, 6-4. No. 2: Lexi Graham-Christine Kato, Greeley West, def. Kelli Sylvester-Jen Marquit, Cheyenne Mountain, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3. No. 3: Alison Seiler-Kristen Boe, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Alex Forke-Whitney Fredericks, Niwot, 6-1, 6-3. No. 4: Erin McNary-Jenna Cavalli, Broomfield, def. Nicole Ferguson-Baylee Thenell, Regis, 7-5, 6-3.
THIRD-PLACE MATCHES
No. 1 singles: Clark Tatje, Fountain Valley, def. Lisa Floyd, Steamboat Springs, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. No. 2: Claire Runge, Niwot, def. Sarah Housman, Pueblo South, 6-1, 6-2. No. 3: Allyson Lee, Niwot, def. Shelby Reed, Steamboat Springs, 6-3, 6-0.
No. 1 doubles: Kara Combs-Brooke Simecka, Fossil Ridge, def. Mary Kloberdanz-Lauren Stephens, Greeley West, 6-2, 6-4. No. 2: Kelly Nightengale-Kimber Robbins, Mullen, def. Maggie Pinnick-Taylor Oliver, Niwot, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. No. 3: Kira Eck-Shelby Shriver, Ralston Valley, def. Candice Krammer-Alexandra Lehnert, Greeley West, 6-2, 6-2. No. 4: Stephanie King-Brittney Johansen, Cheyenne Mountain, def. Megan Esser-Colleen Fisher, Colorado Academy, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
