Girls Tennis: Season Update and Rankings
Skip ahead to updates and rankings for Class 5A, Class 4A, or Class 3A.
It’s been an exciting start to the girls tennis season in 2023 with plenty of great matches and tournaments as well as the new team state tournament on the horizon for the first time this spring. To align more closely to how things run in the college ranks, high school tennis programs in Colorado are being introduced to a dual-style postseason bracket this spring.
The original playoff format from years past – where how you do at regionals dictates whether a player moves into the state tournaments – remains. Those three-day tournaments will also continue to decide the individual singles and doubles state winners for each classification. But now, a new, separate four-round team dual tournament will determine the season’s team champions.
This format of the team state tournament proved to be a success with the boys in the fall, and it will be a tight race to see who can become the first champions of this new format for the girls. While the weather always plays a massive factor in how many matches can actually be played in early spring, there are plenty of results that are in to assess where the teams stand as we are only two weeks away from the team brackets being revealed for the three classifications.
Cherry Creek is the defending champion and the Bruins are looking for their 39th title in program history. They remain strong with Lorena Cedeno, Annika Sharma and Jiselle Boker leading an experienced singles group. The Creek doubles teams don’t have as many seniors as in years past, but the Bruins still remain the favorites until proven otherwise.
This might be the year that Fairview gets over the hump, though, as they have plenty of senior experience with Virginia Gomulka and Lizzie Roth coming back for a third year at #1 doubles. Jane Roth and Maya Brakhage will also look to defend their title at #2 doubles and their singles group of Quinn Bernthal, Stella Laird and Elle Middleton can compete with anyone in the state. Fairview proved that they are ready with a big first place finish this past weekend in the Full Send Invitational, arguably the strongest tournament in the state. The Knights have pushed Creek the past few years and this year might be their best shot to claim their secnd state title in program history.
Ralston Valley also scored a huge win over Fossil Ridge and one over Mountain Vista, so the Mustangs are as battle tested as it gets. From junior Ally Lowe, freshman Emerson Bonner and doubles teams like Adia Farling and Cassidy Gordon at #1 and Parker Lucas and Zoey Prokopyschyn at #2, Ralston Valley has maybe their deepest team yet.
Fossil Ridge and Mountain Vista are right there too as they have had some very tight matches with the best teams in the state. Teams like Boulder, Heritage, Regis and Rock Canyon deserve mention as well as they all have strong teams that could push into the top tier of contenders.
5A Rankings
There is a familiar theme of a perennial champion trying to fight off a bunch of hungry challengers. The state title still runs through Cheyenne Mountain, as the defending champs are seeking their 25th state title. The Red-Tailed Hawks lost a lot of their previous team, though, and have three freshmen in their singles lineup, which is extremely rare. While Cheyenne Mountain still has a talented group of players and coach Dave Adam, who finds a way to get the most out of his teams year after year, these changes make 4A feel more wide open than it has been in years past.
Mullen is right on their tail and itching for a chance to recapture their magic from 2021, as they finished ahead of Cheyenne in the CM Invitational this past weekend. With senior Lexi Yost leading the way at #1 singles, the Mustangs have as good of a shot as any to dethrone the defending champs. Kent Denver is right there as well with maybe the favorite for #1 singles in Lila Moldenhauer already having several statement wins over Niwot’s Alys Pop, Ralston Valley’s Ally Lowe and Mountain Vista’s Lauren Hayes. The Sun Devils are deep too, with Kendall Adams and Meredith Waters returning as individual state champions now in the singles lineup. This could be their best shot for a team title since they last won in 2005.
Air Academy, who is undefeated so far, has a big test with Cheyenne Mountain coming up, and teams like Denver South and Thompson Valley already have some big wins this year, including the Eagles at TV with a big victory over Niwot. Speaking of the Cougars, they still have a very solid lineup of singles players like they always do and will be a factor once the calendar turns to May.
The other team to watch out for with strong singles players is Pine Creek, as the Eagles return Ava Lewis and #3 singles state champ from 2022, Keelin Sills.
4A Rankings
D’Evelyn has had a stranglehold on the state tournament the past two years, but the Mustangs of Colorado Academy have already had a big head-to-head win over their nearby rivals. Anna Jordaan missed last year’s state tournament with an injury, but after winning as a sophomore she looks primed to go out on top again as a senior.
And, although CA has taken some recent losses to Peak to Peak and Holy Family, these four teams all appear to be neck-and-neck at the top of 3A. Peak to Peak has some great doubles depth to match their young singles group at the top, and Holy Family is always loaded with strong doubles teams, as Clara Miesner and Sarah Stonehocker look like the favorites at #1 doubles this year.
But still, the title runs through D’Evelyn as the defending champs return last years #2 singles runner-up Evelyn Oltmans. They also have a collection of two-time individual state champions in Sofia Cieslewicz, Maisy Schoeman and Sarah Cook. Until proven otherwise in May, the Jaguars still might be the team to beat.
3A Rankings
