season came to a close this past week with David Rothweil taking second in individual play and the local ladies making it to the semi-finals of the state tournament.

Rothweil

After having his state finals match-up postponed due to rainy weather, David Rothweil returned to the court last week to finish his state showdown.

“The rain was certainly not going to be an issue on this day, with temperatures heading into the 90s and not even a hint of a breeze,” said head coach David Phillips. “Once again, however, Rothweil started slowly, losing the first three games to go down 3-1 before he relaxed and began to find his stride.”

Rothweil fought back to a 3-3 match, with four incredibly close games to follow.

“At 5-5, the Florence player held his nerve to win the game, leaving Rothweil serving to stay in the set,” Phillips said. “Unfortunately, the pressure of serving for the set took its toll on David and, despite a game where the pressure and the advantage seesawed, Gabriel Steddmann finished the match with a forehand approach and follow-up overhead.”

Phillips said that Rothweil was naturally disappointed by the loss but, after an incredible season of going undefeated in regular play and taking second in state as a sophomore, he’ll definitely be the one to watch next season.

Quarterfinals

The girls continued their trek through the state tournament last week, beginning with a quarterfinal matchup against the team from Seton Catholic.

“The match was played on the hottest day of the year,” Phillips said.

Jena Serrano played an excellent match to get things started but was eventually overpowered, putting the Falcons down 1-0.

Meagan Coveney recovered from a slow start to earn the win in her match, however, making the event 1-1.

Phillips said that, playing in the third slot, Courtney Dunham had little trouble getting rolling and quickly won her first set. After letting the second set slip to Seton, she bounced back quickly to earn a final win and put the Falcons up 2-1.

Taylor James had little trouble keeping her undefeated season alive to move ahead 3-1 as a team.

Laura Anderson suffered from dehydration under the punishing sun and dropped her match, with Dagny Paulsen suffering a similar fate to result in an overall 3-3 tie.

Doubles matches stayed similarly close, with Serrano and Coveney earning a win while Paulsen and Julia Burgess suffered a defeat.

Tied at 4-4, it was up to Courtney Larson and Taylor James to wrap it up for the Falcons. It was a close match, but the local ladies managed to win what coach Phillips called a real “nail-biter” to send the Falcons to the semifinals.

Semifinals

One win away from entering the state finals showdown, the Lady Falcons didn’t quite have enough gas in the tank to take out the team from Safford, exiting state in the semifinals.

Leave it to the Falcons to put on a good show, once again bringing this match to a narrow conclusion.

Serrano, Coveney and Anderson found losses in singles play while Dunham, James and Paulsen went on to claim victories, once again moving the match to a 3-3 standing heading into doubles play.

Unfortunately, rain dampened the mood a bit and the Falcons had to return to the courts the following day to finish up the tournament.

Serrano and Coveney got off to a great start with a big win, with Anderson and Burgess struggling to keep up, one again moving to a 4-4 tie with the full match resting on the results of a final doubles event.

Dunham and James put up an amazing fight but, in the end, they fell behind their opponents by a close 8-6 final score.

Phillips said that the ladies felt they could have reached the finals, but a top four finish out of 75 schools is something to be proud of.

“I would like to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to CopperWynd Resort and Club for allowing us to play and train at the club,” Phillips said. “Also to Fountain Hills Athletic Director Mike Briguglio for all of his help over the season and the student athletes for an incredible first year. Here’s to many more.”