Rocky Mountain tennis sisters, doubles duo at heart of special season: 'An absolute dream'

Rocky Mountain girls tennis coach Susanna Styve arrived to March's dual match against Fossil Ridge and two of her players were fighting.

No. 1 doubles duo and sisters Nora and Lucia Johnson were "screaming at each other, just at each other's throats."

One minor detail, too. Styve is not just their coach — she's also their mother.

"After that, they just went out and won the match," Styve said.

It's been a dream pairing since, freshman (Lucia) and senior (Nora) sisters that highlight present and future for the surging Lobos, who are enjoying their best season in recent memory.

No. 4 Rocky Mountain won Class 5A playoff matchups last week to reach the team tournament state semifinals (May 7) vs. No. 1 Ralston Valley. All seven Lobos' lines are qualified for the state individual regionals this week (May 1-2 in Highlands Ranch), with a great shot to advance them to the 5A state individual tournament.

That Fossil Ridge match was a jumping-off point. Not just because it was Rocky's first dual match victory over the city powerhouse SaberCats.

The match win solidified the Johnson sisters as Rocky's top doubles pairing, even after Styve's early and adamant opposition to the partnership.

"They have a fiery relationship and then you add mom being their coach? That's a lot." Styve said.

"But then, it was like, 'Okay, you beat Fossil?' Sold!" Nora quipped.

The pair haven't looked back since, tying a team-high in matches won, claiming a tournament doubles title and helping city champion Rocky reach "uncharted territory" for the program.

The sisters, though, didn't really play or hit together much growing up, partly due to the age difference.

And Nora mostly prefers the social elements of the game, while younger Lucia is more locked in and fiercely competitive.

They've ended up being an ideal partnership in sarcastic demeanor and complementary playing styles.

"We’re learning how to support each other and get us out of our little spirals," Lucia said with a laugh.

"We even have a code word: Goblin, which means, 'Stop messing around,'" they added.

It's a teammate tug-and-pull that can already be tough to navigate in a sport like tennis, which has a huge mental component.

The sister dynamic is still ever-present. Both are demonstrative players, often betraying the last point's result but rarely losing focus on the next.

"They play with a lot of passion," Styve said. "It's worked out because they fire each other up and then calm each other down."

"They can push each other in ways you can’t even do as teammates," said Rocky senior teammate Izzy Kinder.

The sisters' playing styles have also fortuitously matched up.

Both have a singles background — Nora even made state at No. 3 singles in 2022. Lucia actually prefers playing at the net, though.

Older sister Nora is the "setter," usually playing near the baseline and hitting more ground strokes. She's trying to force short returns for "enforcer" Lucia to put away with deft volleys and powerful overhead smashes.

"She hates the net, but I love it," Lucia said with a laugh.

"She's a great net player and I’m good at setting things up," Nora said.

Then there's the mother-daughter dynamics at play.

Styve usually prefers to put an assistant coach on the sisters' matches, trying to avoid any negative exchanges in the heat of a match.

"It’s been the challenge of my coaching career to have daughters on the team together," she said. "But also very rewarding."

The sisters are certainly conscious of it. But they mostly take it in stride, even cracking jokes on the subject.

"We have to separate the Mom from the Coach," Nora said. "I mean, my big 'rebellion' was never partying, it was more slightly going against my mother's wishes in tennis."

It's all working out on the court.

Lucia is part of the Lobos' youth movement that is setting the program up for future success beyond this season.

Rocky's top three singles players (Faith Galyardt, Emma Praver and Ainsley Cunningham) are all sophomores or younger.

Meanwhile, Nora is one of Rocky's four varsity seniors. Along with Kinder, Mia Benz and Izzy Poduska, they've laid the groundwork for this ascension with four seasons of steady improvement.

"I'm endlessly proud of all these girls," Styve said. "It’s hard to be the first generation of success, and they've really learned how to play with pressure."

Now, the sights turn to state (May 9-11 in Denver). It's a goal for every player to qualify but would be a fitting cap to this sister duo's unique, wild ride this spring.

Still, it's not all about the results, even if half the duo would tell you otherwise.

"It’s been an absolute dream. We’ll look back and think this is just the coolest thing. I will for sure cherish this time," Styve said.

Back to the start and that Fossil Ridge pre-match fight.

What had the pair so pressed moments before their first match together? It was a classic sister moment and an illustrative one.

From Nora's perspective: "Lucia was saying, 'We’re gonna win, don’t even think about losing.' And I was like, 'It doesn’t matter that much' and just more nonchalant."

"But it does matter," Lucia said she replied. "And we're going to win."

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado tennis: Rocky Mountain sisters leading Lobos as 5A contenders