Niwot boys tennis' No. 1 doubles team impressing coach Aimee Hites early on

While Niwot boys tennis head coach Aimee Hites expects senior and No. 1 singles player Luke Weber to finish top three in Class 4A, it’s her No. 1 doubles team of freshman Oskar Hansen and sophomore Sebastian Moy that has amazed her the most.

The Cougars’ young duo is already among the strongest in recent program history, Hites believes.

“Our one-doubles is probably the best one-doubles team I've ever coached, so that's exciting,” Hites said. “They're winning the majority of their matches.”

Per MaxPreps, Hansen and Moy are 2-1 through Aug. 28, including a golden match against Frederick and a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Dawson. Their only match loss came against a strong Class 5A Cherry Creek team, 6-7 (6-8), 1-6. Hansen and Moy also finished second in No. 2 doubles while Niwot finished third overall in the 12-team Boulder High Panther Invitational on Aug. 26.

“Both are very mature for their ages and they're just (showing) great hands at the net,” Hites said. “They're just fun to watch, they're not afraid of the ball, they're very aggressive players and they work really well together. They're both kind of quiet on the court, but it works well with them playing together.”

Overall, Hites is pleased with where her entire team is at in late August. The Cougars are 4-1 in head-to-head matches and their only official loss came against Class 5A powerhouse Cherry Creek — they also fell to 5A Valor Christian in a scrimmage on Aug. 19.

“We're getting better each match, so we're right where we want to be right now,” Hites said.

Niwot opened its season with a 7-0 victory over Class 4A Region 5 rival Frederick and followed that up with wins over Skyline (due to forfeit), Dawson (6-1) and Northridge (7-0). Through Aug. 28, the Cougars’ 4-0 start to conference play has them comfortably in first place.

In addition to Weber and Hansen and Moy’s early success, junior LiChen Liao is 2-1 and freshman Charlie Kirtland is 1-1, at No. 2 singles and No. 3 singles, respectively. Niwot’s No. 2 doubles team of junior Kyle Davidson and senior Ryan Gray stands 2-1.

Several difficult opponents remain on the horizon. After a league match against Mountain View on Aug. 30, Niwot faces Mullen, which recently won the 12-team Air Academy Kadet Kickoff, on Sept. 1. Hites also expects Cheyenne Mountain and Kent Denver to test her Cougars before a hopeful return to the state playoffs.