Niwot boys tennis sweeps Frederick in opening match

The Niwot High boys tennis team kicked off its new campaign with a clean 7-0 sweep of Frederick High School on Aug. 10.

In his first match since taking over Niwot's No. 1 singles spot, senior LiChen Liao defeated his opponent, 6-1, 6-1, while sophomores Oskar Hansen and Charlie Kirtland won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, respectively, 6-0, 6-0.

Niwot's doubles teams found similar success on the Golden Eagles' home court. Junior Sebastian Moy and senior Kyle Davidson took the No. 1 doubles match (6-0, 6-3), juniors Ollie Jones and Rex Wallington swept the No. 2 doubles, and seniors Pavi Soni and Lauritz Stranzenbach did the same at No. 3 doubles. Frederick did not field a No. 4 doubles team, giving Niwot the default victory.

Following the match, head coach Aimee Hites spoke highly of the development she has seen from Soni and fellow senior Manan Gangwar, who as a No. 4 doubles player didn't compete at Frederick.

"He's (Soni) actually improved a lot because last year, he was on that bubble (as) a swing guy, and he didn't quite make it - same with Manan," Hites said. "Both those guys are right now in the top 11, so a big jump from last year. They put in some work over the summer."

Hites still admitted that with the exception of Liao in the top spot, it will likely take her some time to settle on Niwot's optimal lineup.

"This is where we're at as of tryouts, but we've only had three days, so our lineup is definitely in the sand right now," Hites said. "It's going to be shifting. I know a lot of these guys want a challenge again next week."

She'll have plenty of in-house opportunities to evaluate her talent, though, with Niwot's next match coming on Aug. 22 at Northridge High School. Settling on Niwot's doubles teams figures to be the most complex part of the process for Hites.

"At the top, it's all challenge matches for the singles spots," Hites said. "Then, the doubles is figuring out the right combinations personality-wise, maturity-wise, who can play well with who and that kind of stuff. That's on me, so I've got to get that right."

The Cougars were previously scheduled to host Skyline High School on Aug. 15, but that match has been canceled.