This season looks like it will be fun. We have a great group of student athletes out for tennis this year and we are excited to watch them progress and learn.”

Coach Lauren Shields

Up Next

On August 24, the tennis team travels to Rawlins.

The Lady Blazers compete against Cheyenne Central on August 22 at 4 p.m.

Torrington is away against Cheyenne South and Laramie in Cheyenne on August 27 at 9 a.m.

On August 30, the tennis team boards the bus for the Gillette tournament followed by away matches at Newcastle on August 31.

TORRINGTON – The Torrington High School Blazer and Lady Blazer tennis teams opened the fall 2024 season against Thunder Basin and Campbell County high schools at home on Saturday, August 17.

The matches against both Gillette schools were a “great learning experience” for Torrington, coach Lauren Shields said.

“This season looks like it will be fun,” Shields added. “We have a great group of student athletes out for tennis this year and we are excited to watch them progress and learn.”

Thunder Basin girls

Madix McIntosh played the No. 1 singles match for Torrington and fell, 7-5 and 6-1.

“Madix is a competitor – she is always in a match regardless of the score because she never quits,” Shields said. “She appeared to be playing somewhat cautiously in this match but took advantage of opportunities to hit some winners.”

Madison Hatch played No. 2 singles for the Lady Blazers and lost, 6-3 and 6-1.

“Madison was nervous in the first match, but she worked hard and played well,” Shields said. “She has put in a ton of time to improve her game over the summer and it’s definitely showing.”

The No. 1 doubles team for the Lady Blazers included Laney Grubbs and Natalie Lira.

“These girls are fun to watch because they both cover the court so well,” Shields added. “Laney’s lobs were fantastic and Natalie played the net great.”

The No. 2 doubles team consisted of Haley DeFoe and Addison Hansen. DeFoe and Hansen lost, 6-0 and 6-2.

“Addison and Haley played well together and communicate well,” Shields said. “Addison has put in a lot of time this summer and her serve has improved quite a bit. Haley has some natural reflexes and ability that help her be a good volleyer and moving around the court.”

The No. 3 doubles team – Keelin Connelly and Sinai Hernandez – fell 6-4 and 6-0.

“These girls played great coming back from being down 1-4 [in the first match] to get to 4-5,” Shields noted. “They were getting to the net and volleying like we practiced.”

Thunder Basin boys

Elijah Hatch played No. 1 singles against Thunder Basin and lost both sets, 0-6.

“Elijah played well for his first singles match of his varsity career,” Shields said. “He can be fun to watch when he is taking some risks. He covers the court well.”

In the No. 2 singles match, Benaiah Steinbrecher came up short, 6-0 and 6-1.

“Benaiah worked hard this summer to improve and it shows,” Shields added. “He puts in extra hours each day to improve his serving and ground strokes. I was proud of his performance.”

The No. 1 doubles team of Marcus Jones and Gabe Posten lost both sets, 6-0.

“When these boys play together, you never know what could happen,” Shields said. “They have fun together and make plays you wouldn’t expect. Gabe has a pretty solid serve and Marcus pulls off some shots you’d never expect.”

Braxton Carlson and Maxton Matthews played the No. 2 doubles match, falling 6-0 and 6-1.

“Braxton and Maxton are fun to watch because both are good volleyers and have good serves,” Shields noted. “Braxton has put in a lot of time this summer to improve and it shows when he is on the court. Maxton has also worked hard to improve this summer.”

The No. 3 doubles team – Silas Kisskinen and Josiah Steinbrecher – fell 6-1 and 6-2.

“The score did not quite reflect the match they played,” Shields said. “They were on the court longer than any other team and their games went to deuce quite a bit. Josiah covers the court well and his play is a little unorthodox, but it works for him. Silas works hard and is very coachable.”

Campbell County girls

McIntosh again played No. 1 singles against Campbell County for the Lady Blazers.

“The Campbell County No. 1 singles player is a foreign exchange student from Germany who knows how to play tennis,” Shields said. “Madix came out and won the first game, but did not win another game in that match. Madix hit the ball harder in this match and took more risks, which was great to see.”

Hatch came up short the No. 2 singles match, 7-6 and 6-2.

“Madison battled and hung in there the first set and lost in a tie-breaker,” Shields said. “Madison seemed more comfortable in this match and it showed in her play.”

DeFoe and Lira played No. 1 doubles, coming up short 7-5 and 6-2. The No. 2 doubles team – Grubbs and Hansen – fell 7-5 and 6-2.

Connelly and Hernandez played No. 3 doubles and lost, 7-5 and 6-0.

“Keelin served well in both matches and Sinai had some beautiful backhand volleys.”

Campbell County boys

Skyler Thomas played No. 1 singles for Torrington, falling 6-2 and 6-4.

“Skyler is so fun to watch – he makes it all look so effortless and easy,” Shields said. “His fundamentals are sound. He played so much this summer to improve his game and went to a couple tennis camps as well. Skyler is a smart player and he plays cautiously.”

Hatch represented the Blazers in the No. 2 match and came up short, 7-5 and 5-1.

“Elijah is fun to watch because he covers the court and if he gets an opportunity to hit a big forehand approach shot, he goes for it,” Shields said.

Torrington played Benaiah Steinbrecher and Carslon in the No. 1 doubles match and the team won both sets, 6-1 and 6-2.

“These two worked great together and communicated well,” Shields remarked. “They were playing the net and volleying just like good doubles teams do.”

Posten and Jones played No. 2 doubles. The first match was a long-one that went three sets, with the two Blazers ultimately falling, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-3.

Kiiskinen and Matthews played No. 3 doubles, winning both sets, 6-4 and 6-1.

“These boys had some great points and seemed to have fun playing together,” Shields said. “Maxton had some great serves and volleys. Silas played  and served well.”

Alternates

Torrington took the opportunity to give several alternates on the team court time on Saturday.

Aftyn Hager and Avery Hunter played girls’ doubles against Thunder Basin, falling 6-0 and 6-1. Hager and Hunter squared off against Campbell County in a proset, falling 8-2.

Carter Hendricks and Brody Ringrose played boys’ doubles against Thunder Basin and lost both matches, 6-4. Hendricks and Ringrose rallied in a doubles match against Campbell County to win, 8-7.

Kiera Fleenor and Meaghan Hooper played girls’ doubles against Campbell County and came up short, 8-1.

Josiah Steinbrecher and Gage McMurray played boys’ doubles against Campbel County and scored an 8-2 victory.