REGIONALS: Durango girls achieve semifinal sweep of Gorman

Durango girls tennis coach Pat Davis was nervous Thursday, understandably so.

The Trailblazers had three semifinal matches — two doubles, one singles — and all of their opponents were from Bishop Gorman, the four-time defending state champion.

One win would be good, Davis figured. Two would be great. But three?

In near-synchronized fashion, all three matches ended in Durango’s favor, with all of the winners qualifying for next week’s state meet and today’s Sunset Region finals at 4 p.m. at Darling Tennis Center.

Durango sisters Andrea Melo and Claire Melo beat Gorman’s Michelle Shoen and Amanda Silvestri 6-1, 6-2, Katy Moore and Jamie Dean edged Caroline Engs and Taylor Larreau 6-4, 6-4; and Alexis Garrett finished the sweep by defeating Gorman’s Sarah Bessen 6-2, 6-3.

The Melos will square off against teammates Moore and Dean, while Garrett faces Bishop Gorman’s Anita Lee, who beat Spring Valley’s Tiffany Tavares, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

“These kids are the gutsiest kids I have ever coached,” Davis said. “Jamie and Katy were outplayed by Gorman last year, but this year they knew they could go toe-to-toe with them and come out ahead.”

Indeed, Moore and Dean had to close out their match twice, after Gorman’s Engs and Larreau challenged match point in the second set. With the Blazers leading 5-4, a match official rules that the point be replayed. Durango won it again, without a challenge.

“They earned it,” Davis said of her team. “It’s not like anything was given to them; they earned what they got. And they’ve proved it a couple of times this season. That tells me all kinds of things about these kids.”

The Melos played a quicker game while defeating Shoen and Silvestri, though they admitted feeling the pressure early in the match.
“We started a little nervous, but we got it together and … took care of business,” Andrea Melo said.

The sisters will feel less pressure in the final, playing their teammates.

“We wanted to get this far so we could make it to state,” Andrea Melo said. “So now that we’re done with that, we’re going to have fun.”
Claire Melo added: “We both know Durango is still going to win, so it feels good no matter what.”

In singles, Garrett won the first set 6-2, then fell behind early in the second before regrouping mentally.

“I was just thinking, ‘Stay calm and keep your head in the points,’ ” said Garrett, nursing a sore shoulder. “As long as you keep working hard, slowly but surely, something is bound to happen.”

In the Sunrise Region finals, Canyon Springs’ Rebecca Breland will face Liberty’s Sarah Lucas for the singles title. Breland hasn’t lost a game in her eight tournament sets. Silverado sisters Nicole Santero and Kristen Santero will play Liberty’s Danae Ingwaldson and Aphrah Brokaw in the doubles final.

In the Sunset Region finals, Centennial’s J.C. Pauli will face The Meadows’ Max Novak in singles, and Jordan Lamothe and Ryan Wells of The Meadows will play Palo Verde’s Zach Bellon and Dillon Casey in doubles.

In the Sunrise Region finals, Coronado’s Mitchell Smith faces Canyon Springs’ Josh Jones in singles, and Coronado’s Michael Seitz and Marc Feldman will meet Foothill’s Kevin Dion and Dylan Hansel in doubles.