Pine Creek's Nicole Kalhorn blazing her own tennis trail

When you come from a tennis family, you can go one of two ways. You can let your older siblings have their glory and try something else.

Or, like Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) sophomore Nicole Kalhorn, you can live it.

Kalhorn's older sister, Simone, won a Class 4A No. 1 singles state title for the Eagles in 2006, finished runner-up the next season when Pine Creek moved to 5A, then moved on to Syracuse and now plays on the American Pro Tour. Her brother, Ashton, is a member of the Bradley University squad.

Not to be outdone, Nicole Kalhorn recorded a 5A state runner-up finish last season — as a freshman. She still has this season and two more to further construct a glitzy resume'.

"I started off doing soccer, ballet and tennis, and around the age of 10 I got to choose whichever sport I wanted," Kalhorn said. "Something about tennis was really intriguing and I enjoyed it so much. I wanted to be able to play with my sister and brother rather than doing something else.

"Instead of following in their footsteps, I thought it'd be fun to do it alongside them."

Kalhorn is developing a reputation on the circuit as a fierce competitor, but a good-hearted one. She has helped opponents ice their elbows and was gracious in defeat when she lost the state-title match to Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) then-junior Kelli Woodman.

Kalhorn, who had been nursing a hamstring injury, actually is 0-1 this season. She lost her opening match to talented Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) freshman Kalyssa Hall 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on March 20. Kalhorn, though, brought flowers to the match.

It was Hall's birthday and the two are close friends off the court and have traveled across the country to tennis tournaments.

"I'm probably thinking she's the best one I'm going to have to play all season," Kalhorn said. "With it being her birthday that day and me bringing her flowers, it was kind of a nonchalant match. We were laughing about how we had to play in the first round."

Kalhorn competes in many sectional tournaments and spent the latter part of last week in Las Vegas doing so. When the reigning Intermountain Sectional champion returns, the high school season will get into full swing.

"She's got an all-around game," said Pine Creek 10th-year coach Dave Lehman, who considers Kalhorn likely to be the third sibling to play Division I tennis. "She can serve, volley, she does all of it. She's driven to do well at tennis and progress on into college."

As anyone would be, Kalhorn was disappointed after the loss at state to Woodman on a dreary day at the Gates Tennis Center. But with a few months for perspective, the accomplishment was able to sink in.

Not many 15-year-olds, after all, compete in a No. 1 singles final.

"(Woodman) definitely deserved it, because in the semifinals, she beat the girl who she had lost to the year before — which is awesome," Kalhorn said. "She wanted it more and I was just happy to be there. But I have many years ahead of me to be able to do something like that. She earned it."

Kalhorn upended talented foes such as Boulder's Miguela Newhart, Grand Junction Central's Aimee Basinski and, in the semifinals, Fairview's Monica Li to reach the title match.

"She knows a lot of these players and she knows their capabilities, and she did a great job just reaching the final," Lehman said. "She won some tough matches to get there. Unfortunately, she just didn't pull it off in the final."

But, as Kalhorn said herself, she has plenty of time to earn a state title of her own. Judging by her personal history and her pedigree, don't bet against it.