Girls tennis: Erie wins first-ever dual tournament match against Niwot
Apr. 24—ERIE — Sixth-seeded Erie's rise in the girls tennis scene has been years in the making, and it all culminated in a 5-2 victory over No. 11 Niwot during the first round of the Class 4A dual state tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
The shift toward a better future began when head coach Matt Chavez first joined the staff four seasons ago. Since then, he's helped transform the Tigers into a competitive program rather than a leisurely one.
"For the past 15 to 20 years, Erie has been one of the bottom (programs) in the state," Chavez said. "But the past like three, four years, things have changed and we've been on the upward curve with our talent and with our skill level. This was our first year in team state, and we're ranked number six."
Their top talent, No. 1 singles player Nanoha Nakamura, put on a masterclass against Niwot's Sahasra Kolli, taking her down with a 7-5, 6-3 final. The Japanese foreign exchange student said that after a bit of a rough first set, she leaned back on her basics. Her game, she noted, focuses more on her footwork than her actual swings.
"In the first set, I was kind of messed up, but I realized it was a game against me, not the opponent," Nakamura said. "If I play well, I can win, but I was not. So I tried to remember how I did in practice and how I learned from my life."
After a two-year hiatus from tennis, she decided to pick up a racket again during her time in Colorado. The Tigers have benefited greatly, as Nakamura improved to 12-1 on the season with her win on Wednesday.
"I kind of quit because I lost that I really liked to do it and I changed to studying," she said. "But I started playing again because I realized it's fun."
Kolli's story this year has played out a bit differently. The Niwot sophomore ended her high school debut with a No. 2 singles title last season, but craved the added competition that came with the sport's top line.
When she moved up to No. 1, she had to acclimate to the heightened speed of the game.
"It's been slightly tougher, but I also wanted to play 1 singles because last year, I didn't feel like I had a challenge that much," Kolli said. "(This year), I saw my game improve by playing better people. Even if I lose, I still got practice."
Now, she knows what to expect when she heads back to Niwot next weekend for the individual regional tournament, where she'll engage in a rematch with Nakamura. This time around, she's hoping she'll be healthy.
"At first, I didn't want to have any expectations because I'm playing her during regionals," Kolli said. "I wanted to treat it as a practice match. But then my hand and my elbow started hurting, so then it was kind of hard to play through it."
Erie won at every line, save for 2 singles and 1 doubles. Niwot's Tracy Yu defeated Erie's Makayla Carter with a 6-3, 6-3 showing at 2 singles, and Sam Zacky/Anne Haley won out with a 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 decision over Erie's Francie Mueller/Kendall Wachowiak in the top doubles match.
The Tigers will travel to No. 3 Mullen on Friday for the quarterfinals.
