DENVER – Caroline Daugherty was understandably disappointed after losing in the semifinals and eventually placing fourth at state last season, as she felt it wasn’t her talent but her constitution that let her down.
But now a sophomore at Valor Christian and a bit more mentally seasoned, Daugherty had nothing to be disappointed about when she left the tennis courts at Denver City Park on Saturday.
This time around, Daugherty claimed the No. 1 singles individual title without dropping a set. In the finals, she won 6-2, 6-4 over Chaparral junior Remy Nguyen.
“It feels really good,” Daugherty said. “I was really disappointed after last year because I kind of caved in and got a little nervous. So to be able to fight through this time and get to another round in the tournament was awesome. And to play well and win, it just feels really good.”
While her run through the top singles bracket was dominant, Daugherty said her finals match against Nguyen wasn’t as easy as the score might indicate. And it was the Eagles sophomore’s mental toughness that was her greatest weapon in her first state finals appearance.
“It’s was really tough. She’s an amazing player,” Daugherty said. “No one plays like her, so you have to stay mentally tough to deal with all the slices and drop shots, and she can change really fast so I think that was really hard to deal with. I think having played so many different people this season really helped me with that, and to be able to adapt.”
Daugherty’s No. 1 singles title was also Valor Christian’s first of its kind. In fact, it’s the first-ever individual title for the Eagles’ girls tennis program.
At No. 2 singles, Fairview’s Jane Roth, who won the last two No. 2 doubles titles with teammate Maya Brakhage, claimed the gold with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 win over Cherry Creek’s Jisele Boker. In the No. 3 singles bracket, Ralston Valley’s Scarlett Lutz won 6-3, 6-1 over Fairview’s Brakhage.
The No. 1 doubles title went home with Ralston Valley’s Adia Farling and Cassidy Gordon, who lost in the quarterfinals last season but won 7-5, 6-2 over Cherry Creek’s Sayeesha Garud and Sabrina Shama in the finals on Thursday. At No. 2 doubles, Cherry Creek’s Riley Loehr and Zoey Hao put together a 6-3, 6-1 win over Ralston Valley’s Kiley Engelsman and Parker Lucas in the title match.
In the No. 3 doubles bracket, Ralston Valley’s Mataya Farling and Sofia Elola won 6-3, 6-1 over Cherry Creek’s Joelle Yoon and Karissa Manley. At No. 4 doubles, Cherry Creek’s Julie Karlberg and Beth Munro won 6-3, 6-3 over Valor Christian’s Reese Blanchard and Sofia Yaron.
Cherry Creek advanced five lines to finals, including all four doubles pairs. Ralston Valley advanced four lines to finals, including three doubles pairs. The team state title on Tuesday will be between Cherry Creek and Ralston Valley.