On
Saturday October 11th,
the Lone Peak Girls Tennis Team hoisted the State Championship trophy
high above their heads, winning their 3rd
State Championship in four years. The final tally showed Lone Peak
with 22 points, Davis High with 21.
This
year, like last year, it came down to doubles play and the Team title
came down to 2nd
doubles as it did last year when Davis narrowly defeated Lone Peak.
This year it was Lone Peaks turn.
To
defeat Davis, Lone Peak's girls knew it would take a team effort,
with everyone scoring points and that team effort led to the team
victory.
At
first singles, Leah Heimuli gave up a total of 6 games in 3 matches
on her way to the final where she met up with Davis' Breezy Turley.
Though Leah lost in the final she fought valiantly and her season
could be summed up in two words 'work ethic'. No one works harder on
their game and works harder to improve than Leah.
At 2nd singles Lone Peak had Morgan Hall leading the way. Morgan missed the first 3+ weeks of the season with an injury and then one week before the Region tournament, she injured her shoulder, a new injury. She fought valiantly in the Region tournament to come away with the Region Championship. At State she gave up 2 games in her first 2 matches, sometimes even serving the ball underhanded because of her shoulder pain. On day 2 of State her pain was so intense but she refused to quit, she refused to give in and fought and fought through her semifinal match before losing. Morgans season could be summed up with the word 'courageous' as she fought pain and adversity throughout.
At
3rd
singles, sophomore Ellie Slighting was our 'secret weapon'. Halfway
through our region season, due to injuries, Ellie was asked to fill
in and did so admirably, picking up confidence with each win. She
qualified for State play as a #2 seed and won each match at State
easier than the previous match. Her first trip to State and she
showed great composure and never felt pressure. Ellie's run in the
tournament found her in the finals where she lost to the defending
champion from Davis but as always Ellie played tough. In a word,
Ellie showed all season that she was 'unflappable'.
While
Davis held the edge in singles, both of their doubles teams were
knocked out early in the tournament and it became apparent that Lone
Peaks doubles could make up ground with victories.
Our
most experienced and decorated doubles team, with 3 State
Championships between them, Electra Cochran and Lauren Allen played
superbly over the 2 day tournament, knocking out teams in straight
sets with relative ease. The finals found them up against Bingham and
a team that had taken them to 3 sets earlier in the year. But in the
final Electra and Lauren prevailed with a 6-4,6-2 victory to take the
State Championship at 1st
doubles. Their season summed up could be 'calmly confident'.
In
2nd
doubles, JJ Bitton and Olivia Harkness got through their first 2
rounds relatively easy and found themselves in a semifinal match with
Bingham who they also had defeated in 3 sets earlier in the season.
On this day, JJ and Olivia proved to be the most steady and
consistent, winning 6-4,6-2. And now the stage was set for their
final and a scenario exactly like last year, where a win in the final
would mean a team title and a loss in the final would give the team
title to Davis. JJ and Olivia played well and came away victorious
6-4,6-2, giving themselves an individual championship while also
securing the Team Championship for Lone Peak. Summing up their season
'consistently battling'.
Each
year, each team has a different story and a different cast of
characters. Each State Championship is special and unique and this
may be the most unique and special out of the three considering the
players who were injured, those who battled through their injuries,
the mental toughness of players who had never been to State ( Ellie
and Olivia) and came through big for us and the way each girl battled
for each point at State. While Tennis is made up of individual
players, this championship was clearly about the best TEAM, a TEAM
where every girl made significant contributions to the success they
experienced, a TEAM like Lone Peak Girls Tennis 2014.
2014 5A State Champions – Lone Peak Girls Tennis !!
