The Park City High School girls’ tennis team is so used to everything going right, only a faulty bus on the way home from its biggest tournament of the year could put a damper on the accomplishments the Miners have put together this season.
After taking second in the St. George Team Duel in the Desert, the team saw its ride home sputter to a temporary end outside of Cedar City on its way back to Park City. The players were shuttled to Cedar City, where they sat inside a Denny’s at midnight Saturday.
“It was a great trip.We kind of a had a unique experience,” McMahon said. “It was good bonding. It was really good.”
While it did not make it back to Park City until 5:30 Sunday morning, the team didn’t have much to regret aside from a lack of shut eye.
Park City came in second in the tournament after falling to 5A powerhouse Davis, 3-2.
After breezing through the round-robin pool, defeating 4A Lehi, 4A Stansbury and 5A Viewmont, the Miners faced the elimination round against 4A East.
The team saw four of the five matches come down to the wire. Ultimately, senior and No. 1 singles player Stormy Dvorak helped the Miners advance past the Leopards, 3-2.
Dvorak defeated her East counterpart after dropping the first set of the match 5-7. She responded taking the last two, 7-5 and 10-7.
McMahon saw growth in her team in that matchup as the Miners, who have been dominating teams this season, had their backs against the wall. They responded vigorously.
“This (East) was a barnburner,” she said. “Everything was just tight with all (matches). We went four split sets, and it came down to a super-10 tiebreaker in the third set in all those matches. And we eked it out on the last match with our No. 1 Stormy (Dvorak).”
Fellow single competitors Solveig Karlsen and Alex Oriente defeated their East opponents, while the doubles team of Dani Lecher and Katherine Davis fell in heartbreaking fashion, 6-4, 4-6, 9-11. The No. 2 doubles team also dropped a close one as Kara Johnson and Julie Patterson fell 3-6, 6-3, 4-10.
McMahon couldn’t be more proud of her tandems who have just recently started to play with one another. She sees only bright futures for her pairs.
“I’ve got to say, my doubles teams are new together, but they got some great tournament experience,” she said. “It will help prepare us for state.”
The Miners did lose their first match of the 2010 season, but did not go down without a fight. In the loss to Davis 3-2, Park City’s Karlsen and Oriente defeated the Darts’ No. 2 and 3 singles players.
“We played Davis, who is a really tough 5A school,” McMahon said. “But it wasn’t a wipeout; it wasn’t 5-0 or 4-1.
“Davis was the best team there. They were the best team we played. That’s our only loss of the season.”
The Miners’ impressive streak continued this week.
Park City traveled to Grantsville Tuesday and defeated the Cowboys 5-0. Dvorak swept her opponent, Tayler Orgill, while Karlsen and Oriente also won in two sets.
The doubles pairs got back into the win column as well. Davis and Lecher went three sets with Grantsville’s Kylee Keetch and Katelin Christensen and won, 7-6, 6-8, 6-1. Patterson and Johnson followed suit, defeating Morgan Castegino and Courtnee Gleward, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6.
Park City defeated Morgan on Thursday 5-0, as well.
McMahon expressed confidence in her team after a trying week and was more than pleased with the effort and outcome down south.
“Coming from a high-altitude community, down to where (those teams) are totally used to it, 100-degree weather, we did just great,” McMahon said. “They played great, they hung in there with all the heat and all that. But to get second place in a tournament like that is awesome.”