Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE— The 2009 Colorado High School State 4A tennis tournament will feature players with years of experience to the sport of tennis. Most of the players will be seasoned; most will be state tournament experienced.

So what will happen when a pair of “newbies” enter this year’s competition?

Jeremy Storter and Ross Valdez, who made up the No. 4 doubles team this season, have barely three months of tennis experience between them. But the duo will travel to Pueblo today to compete in the state tournament beginning Thursday morning.

Ross Valdez, left, and Jeremy Storter make up the MHS No. 4 doubles team that will represent the Indians this week during the state tournament in Pueblo. (William Woody / Daily Press) Advertisement

“Wish more [MHS] teams would have made it,” Storter said.

“It’s exciting,” Valdez added.

The pair spent most of practice time Tuesday working out with coaches Travis Hastings and Jim Aragon. The team and their coaches are working to fine tune an unusual style of play that they jokingly boast as the “lob and slam.”

The coaches are hitting shots hard down the line, telling the two to get their feet right.

“We’re trying to get them to concentrate and play their game,” Aragon said. “There such naturals, it’s fun to watch them play.”

Aragon said that the team needs to focus on their volleys and talk to each other.

As both hit shots back and forth, Hastings jokes after hitting a lob from Storter.

“I love that lob,” he said. “Nobody else is going to do it.”

In a tournament filled with hard hitters, this team is about to give their opponents a difficult time and change of play.

“The teams that don’t know us, don’t know our game ... they hit it hard and play a fast pace of play,” Valdez said.

The “lob and slam,” is a style of play that takes all the speed from the game. The back man of the team returns a shot with a lob, as the ball floats toward the back of the opponents’ court, the front man positions himself at the net. The opponent returns the shot, but can’t put much speed on it. The front man slams the shot away for the score. And this play is repeated.

“It definitely plays to our advantage,” Storter said.

“[It] makes it very frustrating to play us,” Valdez said.

Storter and Valdez admit that they weren’t really expecting to make it to the state tournament. Talking to them and you realize that they don’t take the sport all that seriously. The pair said that they’ve found a different way to beat their opponents, just “have fun.”

“We kill them with kindness, we say things like great overhand ... we don’t get frustrated with our play or their play, and these teams expect a level of frustration from us, and when they don’t see that, they wonder why and they get frustrated,” Valdez said. “We just try to maintain a good level of composure.”

As Hastings watches the players warm up for practice, he reflects on the team and the season.

“First and foremost, I’m proud of the entire team,” he said.

The team finished third last week during regional play in Delta.

“We finished third to two good teams in Steamboat and Aspen,” he said.

See sidebar for regional results.

“There easily the smartest team in the field, our kids are smarter players,” Hastings said.

Storter and Valdez will face a team from Cheyenne Mountain Thursday to begin the tournament.

Hastings said the pair will give new, unconventional competition to the tournament.

“They use the lob and slam as a definite advantage, they wait for the right time and then put it away,” he said.

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Indians third at regional

DELTA— The MHS Indians tennis team finished third last weekend sending only one doubles team onward to state competition this week in Pueblo.

No. 1 singles Tyler Betz lost to his Cortez opponent 0-6, 1-6 to finish 5th in the regional.

No. 2 singles Aaron Arellano defeated Cedaredge in the first round 6-1, 6-4. He lost in the semifinals to Steamboat 2-6, 3-6 and in the consolation round to Hotchkiss 2-6, 5-7. Arellano finished fourth.

Zach Decker, the Indians No. 3 singles player, defeated Cedaredge in the first round 6-1, 6-3. He lost to Steamboat in the semifinals 0-6, 1-6. Decker defeated Hotchkiss in the consolation 6-4, 6-2 but lost to Aspen in the state playback match 0-6, 1-6. Decker finished third.

The No. 1 doubles team of Joe and Wean Nuñez defeated Hotchkiss in the first round 6-1, 6-2. They lost in the semifinal to Steamboat Springs 4-6, 7-5 and 3-6. They went on to defeat Cortez in the consolation round 6-2, 6-2. The team finished third.

Brian Davidson and Doug Hallenborg, who make up the No. 2 doubles team, had a first round bye. They then lost to Aspen in the semifinal 6-7, 5-7. They then defeated Cortez in the consolation round 6-1, 6-4. The team finished third.

Ty Skoe and Rodd Warren, the No. 3 doubles team, defeated Hotchkiss n the first round 6-1, 6-4. They lost in the semifinals to Steamboat Springs 0-6, 1-6. They then lost to Aspen in the consolation round 6-4, 4-6 and 4-6. The team finished third.

State qualifiers, the Indians No. 4 doubles team of Ross Valdez and Jeremy Storter, received a bye in the first round. They then defeated Hotckiss in the semifinals 6-0, 6-0. The team lost to Steamboat Springs in the finals 3-6, 3-6. They then defeated Aspen in the state playback match 6-3, 6-3. The team finished second.

 

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