After a season filled with determination, grit, and teamwork, Hayden Athcley and Sophie Herold, the first doubles in girl tennis this season are headed to the state tournament this Friday, May 9th at Denver Tennis Park. Although the sophomore duo had a rough start to the season, they were able to push their way through to secure a spot this weekend. 

They have built a partnership with the foundation of trust with each girl’s strength being different which is what makes them such a special pair. They have been a pair together both their freshman and sophomore seasons. “As a team I would say our biggest strength is how diverse we are because I am incredible at the net and Sophie is an incredible player at the baseline,” said Atchley. 

They have been hard at work preparing for this big moment. Head coach Ryan Pace says, “One of the things we’ve been doing physically is we have been working on different formations, but mentally we have been having conversations about what you can control.” Their preparation has not changed all that much since it is still two individuals playing another match. 

This marks the first time the duo will be going to state for tennis. The journey was not easy as they faced challenges throughout the year losing to Windsor in their very first match but being able to persevere, beating Fort Collins and getting to three sets with Fossil Ridge.  

“My most memorable match was Pourder because we got to three sets and I thought we were going to lose but didn’t,” said Herold. 

“We’ve been saying three things all year, positivity, competition, and movement,” said Pace. He really wants to see them compete well, enjoy the moment, and be happy with how they play when they walk off the court.