YOUR AD HERE »

Vail Christian girls tennis wins 3 medals at state tournament

The season wraps up on Tuesday when the Saints take on Colorado Academy in the 3A team state tennis championship in Denver

Jessie Allen led all seven lines of the Vail Christian girls tennis team into the 3A individual state championships last weekend in Colorado Springs. The Saints came home with three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes.
Ryan Sederquist/Vail Daily

When you qualify all seven lines to the individual state tournament, you’re bound to come home with some hardware.

The Vail Christian girls tennis team did exactly that at the 3A individual state tennis tournament this past weekend in Colorado Springs. The Saints came away with silver medals in No. 2, 3 and 4 doubles while Heidi Iverson claimed bronze in the No. 3 singles and Summer Sveum and Sofia Elalayli did the same in the No. 1 doubles slot. Jessie Allen was ousted in the No. 1 singles playback semifinals while No. 2 singles Juliet Studness finished fourth.

It was the third-straight season in which the team — which is open to athletes from all four area high schools — qualified its entire lineup to the individual state tennis tournament. The Saints rose to the No. 1 team ranking earlier this season and will compete in the 3A team state tennis championship match against No. 4 Colorado Academy on Tuesday in Denver.



Rain delayed play for a little more than two hours at Memorial Park on championship Saturday. Traditional power D’Evelyn swept all three singles crowns.

In the No. 2 double quarterfinals, Vail Christian’s Alexa Blanch and Sabrina Nabonsal rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against their Western Slope rivals from Steamboat Springs. The freshmen moved on with another three-set win over Holy Family in the semifinals, setting up a rematch with Peak to Peak’s Josie Adams and Molly Kolachov. At the team state semifinals last Tuesday at Homestead Court, Blanch and Nabonsal defeated Adams and Kolachov 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). On Saturday, however, the Panther duo took the 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Support Local Journalism




Vail Christian’s other freshman pair, Olivia Zajac and Carys Highum, cruised through the first three rounds. Wins over University (6-0, 6-2), Canon City (6-2, 6-0) and Peak to Peak (6-2, 6-3) set up a final against Holy Family’s Kenna Dietz and Raelynn Pickup. The Saints fell to the Tigers 6-4, 6-2.

In the No. 4 doubles slot, Linnea Iverson and Grace Armstrong fell to Colorado Academy’s Emily Archie and Bea Wadsworth 6-3, 6-4.

Vail Christian’s No. 1 doubles team of Summer Sveum and Sofia Elalayli placed third at the 3A individual state championships last Saturday in Colorado Springs.
_DSC6922

Iverson was ousted in the No. 3 singles semifinal 6-1, 6-4 to eventual state champion Sofia Cieslewicz of D’Evelyn. The Saints sophomore defeated Timnath’s Addyson Wolfe 6-1, 6-3 in the playback semifinal and proceeded to defeat Prospect Ridge Academy’s Shannon Schmidt 6-3, 6-0 in the third-place game.

Tuesday’s 3A team state championship begins at 2 p.m. at Denver Tennis Park. CHSAANow.com stated on its website that Denver Tennis Park will provide a free live video of the finals.


Support Local Journalism