This tie breaks wrong way for VMS
Monday, May 12th, 2008Source: Vail Daily News (Original Article)
PUEBLO, Colorado — There are some tennis matches where, regardless of the outcome, the players can step back and admire the level of play.
On Friday at the state tournament in Pueblo, the Vail Mountain No. 3 doubles team of Adi Slifer and Claire Sunderland went point-for-point with the Kent Denver duo of Caroline Beaton and Natasha Silensky.
“We felt it was our best match of the season,†Slifer said.
Both the first and second set went to a tiebreaker, where Beaton and Silensky won by the slimmest of margins, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (8-6). To win a tiebreaker, a team must get to seven and win by two.
“It was quite a match. They played really, really well,†said Vail Mountain coach Derek Fisher.
The loss eliminated the pair from the state tournament, while the Vail Mountain No. 4 doubles (Jessica Gilbert and Sheena Feiler) and No. 3 singles (Sarah Logan) were eliminated by virtue of other teams losing.
Slifer and Sunderland, both seniors, didn’t lose any steam after coming up just short in the first set.
“Our coaches were really supportive and told us we could come back and win in three (sets),†Slifer said. “We looked at it as a new game.â€
With the entire Vail Mountain squad watching, Slifer and Sunderland fought through every point.
“We were really scrappy,†Slifer said. “We were moving our feet and went for balls that earlier in the season we would have let go. They were super-aggressive, and we were being aggressive, too. It really depended on what made it to the net first.
“We were really proud. It helped to have the team there behind us.â€
This year’s trip to state capped off a record season for the Gore Rangers, who took second at regionals and won all but one match as a team this season, including a big victory at the Delta Tournament.
“Everybody was proud of their season,†Fisher said. “They worked hard, and it showed. Getting five teams to Airline Miles Credit Cards state is pretty darn good.â€
Slifer leaves …continue reading