Surprising Liberty relies on fortitude

Liberty's girls tennis team wasn't a popular pick to win the Sunrise Region title this season.

Even some within the Patriots' camp thought the team would have a difficult time advancing to the state tournament for the first time in six years.

Maybe they didn't know about the team's heart.

Liberty surprised more than a few when it beat perennial contenders Green Valley and Coronado to win the Sunrise crown and will represent the region in the Division I state tournament, which begins Thursday at the Darling Tennis Center.

Liberty (11-1) meets defending state champion Palo Verde (12-1) in a state semifinal at 11 a.m. Douglas (14-0) and Bishop Gorman (11-2) play in the other semifinal at 11.

"I knew we had an uphill battle, but I know that I have great kids, and I never count them out," Liberty coach Kih Gourrier said. "One thing that you can't put into the equation is desire and how bad the kids want it. That was kind of the difference for us."

The Patriots have just 10 players on their roster, which leaves the team little room to adjust a nine-player starting lineup.

"We have a lot of potential, and if everyone works hard, we always have a chance," said junior Parker Burk, who teamed with twin sister Payton to win their third straight Sunrise girls doubles title Tuesday. "Tennis isn't really a well-known sport at our school, but to be able to bring home that (Sunrise Region) banner is really cool."

The Burks lead a lineup that might not have as much star power as the other top teams but plays consistently well.

"Everyone has improved a lot," Payton Burk said.

Junior Megan Quandt has made big contributions, and classmates Breanna Alvarez and Marisa Olmos — both varsity softball players — continue to improve and pick up key points in matches.

"Part of it is just finding the right combination of kids to play together," Gourrier said. "We spend a lot of time working on chemistry and finding who will work best with which person, and then just practice, practice, practice."

The Patriots found the magic combination to advance to state for the first time since 2009, when they advanced to the state final before losing to Gorman on a points tiebreaker.

Returning to the final and possibly winning it is another tall task. Palo Verde had two of the top four finishers and the top three doubles teams in the Sunset Region tournament. The Panthers should return Annie Walker, who finished third in the state in singles last year but has missed most of the postseason this season with an illness.

"You just can't calculate in the desire and will to win," Gourrier said. "A kid having a winning attitude is sometimes more powerful than a groundstroke or overhead or drop shot. I have those kids. I seek out those kids. I'm always looking for kids at Liberty to come out and think that maybe they can be the difference."

Regardless of the outcome this week, the Patriots hope it won't take another six years to return to state. The team has just two seniors.

"We have some good freshmen, and hopefully we can get more next year," Payton Burk said. "Using this experience, hopefully we can build even more for next year."

Division I boys semifinals and semifinals in boys and girls in Division I-A also are scheduled for today, with all four finals set for Friday morning. The individual singles and doubles tournaments in both divisions start Friday afternoon and conclude Saturday.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.