Cougars girls tennis team serves up postseason results

Niwot High School’s girls tennis team had an impressive season, finishing third in the 4A Region 5 League with a 7-5-1 overall record. Under the experienced leadership of Head Coach Aimee Hites, who has been at the helm for about 15 years, the team showed remarkable skill and tenacity. The Cougars’ roster featured a mix of seasoned seniors and promising underclassmen.

Sophomore Saha Kolli emerged as a formidable force on the court, earning a 4A All-State Second Team honor. Kolli’s performance in the No. 1 singles spot was admirable, achieving a 5-4 record for the season. Kolli defeated Megan Fields from Pueblo County High School and Joanna Carter from Severance High School with decisive scores, before falling to Lila Moldenhauer from Kent Denver School in the semifinals at the state tournament. However, she bounced back in the playbacks at state, overcoming Haylee Hussmann from Air Academy High School and Alyssa Sadri from Cheyenne Mountain High School to claim third place.

Senior Tracy Yu had a stellar season as well, earning the team MVP award from Coach Hites for her contributions. Competing in No. 2 singles, Yu posted a 6-3 record and also finished third at the Class 4A state championship tournament. Yu's journey included victories over Joey Smith from Central High School in Grand Junction and Lily Mullins from Thomas Jefferson High School before a semifinal loss to Sophie Zhou from Cheyenne Mountain. In the playback rounds, Yu secured wins against Tori Strobos from Kent Denver and Claire Lenich from Mullen High School, highlighting her resilience and skill.

Junior Cassie Chen also had a significant season competing in the No. 3 singles spot and achieving a 5-5 season record against top competition.

The doubles teams showcased their synergy throughout the spring. The No. 1 doubles team of juniors Anne Haley and Samantha Zacky ended the season with a solid record of 6-4, also placing third at the state tournament. They triumphed over pairs from Grand Junction and Erie before a semifinal loss to Kent Denver. In the playbacks, they defeated teams from Pueblo County and Mullen to secure their third-place finish.

At No. 2 doubles, senior Harper Behmer and junior Masha Oshmayan, who received the Most Improved award from Coach Hites, achieved a 6-3 record. The No. 3 doubles team, composed of senior Caitlyn Carmichael and junior Magnolia Valentine, concluded their season 3-4, and the No. 4 doubles team of junior Hannah Nelson and sophomore Jordan Rutkowski ended with a record of 2-5.

Despite some setbacks in the state team competition, where they were eliminated by Erie High School in the first round, the Cougars had a commendable finish to the season. Entering the state tournament, the team was initially seeded 11th and ended in the bottom eight out of 16 teams, but the individual finishes from singles and doubles teams highlighted the potential of the squad.

The Cougars graduated Behmer, Yu, and Carmichael, as well as Sarada Gundavaparu, Michelle Martinez, Lucie Kareus, and Jamie Williamson.