Having won the past five Class 4A state championships, the
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) girls tennis team expects to get nothing but the best from each of its opponents – which means the Indians have to get the best from themselves every time they step on the court.
It's a tall task but one Cheyenne Mountain has embraced in establishing itself as the team to beat in the 4A ranks. A year ago the Indians blistered the rest of the state field with a tournament-record 92 points, claiming five of the seven individuals titles.
That said, if a sixth consecutive championship is to be, a young lineup will have to do the heavy lifting this spring.
Cheyenne Mountain is fielding a team that has no seniors and only three juniors in 2014. Four seniors graduated from last year's squad, and two-time defending state champion Payton Fielding is in France this year on a student-exchange program.
"It's sort of like the next-man-up philosophy," Indians coach Dave Adams said. "It's just a process that's going to take a while. We play a lot of good schools in short order here; we'll learn a lot about ourselves."
Just because Cheyenne Mountain is loaded with sophomores and freshmen doesn't mean the right pieces aren't already in place. Sophomore
Kalyssa Hall is back to defend the No. 1 singles championship she won as a freshman, and is coming off victories over Lewis-Palmer (Monument) and Arapahoe (Centennial) last weekend.
"There's a lot more pressure on me this year. Last year when I came in as a freshman, I didn't really have expectations," Hall said. "No one in the community and in the high school really knew what I could do.
"State's going to be more stressful this year, because instead of being the underdog and a freshman I'm going to be the defending champion."
With Fielding overseas, sophomore
Daniela Adamczyk, the runner-up at No. 3 singles last season, has moved up to the No. 2 spot this spring. Sophomore
Jessica Metz takes over at the third singles spot.
Metz was a state champion as a freshman at No. 1 doubles, a position currently held by freshmen
Casey Ahrendsen and
Ally Arenson. Sisters
Megan Dibble and
Claire Dibble are at No. 2 doubles, with
Tory Louis and
Chelsey Geisz at the third spot and
Tatumn Mika and
Rachel Perry at No. 4 doubles.
That's five sophomores and three freshmen currently playing a big part for the defending champions, though freshmen played a crucial role a year ago as well.
"All the girls are really good, they're all just really young," said Hall, who has embraced a leadership role as a captain this spring despite only being a sophomore. "I think by the end of the season we're going to be really good, but I think it's a lot more of a learning experience this year."
Adams echoed those sentiments. Only two players have varsity doubles experience from a year ago, and Metz is new to playing singles.
"It's definitely going to take a lot of work and commitment on everybody's part," he said. "We had a conversation (Friday) in practice about how important it is not to have any loose practices. We've got a lot of work to do and we've got to get a lot better between now and May 8. I think everybody understands that and is taking a workman-line attitude toward it."
Much of that starts with Hall, who is the first Indians player to capture a No. 1 singles title since Casey Wetzig in 2007. Hall defeated former state champion Meagan Monaghan of Denver South 6-4, 6-4 in the 2013 finals to capture her first crown.
"To have her as a returning state champion, I think that gives everyone a lot of confidence," Adams said. "She's developing, getting stronger physically. I don't know that I've ever had a player work harder than Kalyssa does. She's very passionate about it."
Metz and Louis also finished with titles last spring. It marked the second year in a row that the Indians claimed five individual titles on their way to the team championship. Adams, in his eighth year, is the third coach to lead the program to at least five state titles in the past 30 years – Cheyenne Mountain has 18 overall since 1986.
"I feel like we're really fortunate. I absolutely have had a blast coaching these kids because by in large they're pretty dedicated to it," he said. "They enjoy it and they enjoy competition. I know we've had good success the last six or seven years; it's just been a pleasure more than anything else."
