CHEYENNE — The Green River girls’ tennis team battled through adversity at the Class 4A South Regional tournament this past weekend in Cheyenne, finishing as team runner-up behind Cheyenne Central. Rock Springs finished sixth overall, with both Sweetwater County squads hampered by unusual bracket circumstances.
The tournament format was impacted by Cheyenne South not fielding No. 2 or No. 3 doubles teams, which resulted in multiple byes that allowed some opponents to stay fresh while Green River and Rock Springs had to grind through full matches. Despite the obstacles, the Wolves secured second place with three top-three finishes, while the Tigers earned valuable experience across the board.
At No. 1 singles, Green River’s Rylin Arnell made one of the biggest runs of the weekend. Seeded fifth, she upset Rawlins’ Aizlee Jenkins in the opening round, 6-2, 6-1, before falling to eventual champion Hailey Mathis-Breitkopf of Cheyenne Central in the semifinals. Arnell rebounded to defeat East’s Ashley Smith and advanced to the third-place match, where she rallied from a set down to top Laramie’s Peyton Thornburn, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, and secure third place.
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At No. 2 singles, Green River’s Amanda Davis defeated Rock Springs’ Addie Aanerud in the opening round, 6-0, 6-4, before falling to eventual champion Cailyn Smedley of Central in the semifinals. Davis advanced to the third-place match but was edged by Laramie’s Claire Arens, finishing fourth. Aanerud battled back with a straight-sets win over Rawlins before her run ended against Arens in the consolation bracket.
In doubles play, Green River’s top duo of Lopez and Beutel reached the No. 1 doubles final after straight-set wins in the early rounds. They fell to Central’s top-seeded O’Donnell/Gertsch tandem in the title match, taking second. Rock Springs’ Knudsen and Punches earned a consolation win before finishing outside the top four.
At No. 2 doubles, Green River and Rock Springs both ran into the ripple effects of an incomplete regional bracket. For Green River’s duo of English and Britton, a hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over East’s Micheli and Woods sent them into the semifinals, where they had to face Central’s top-seeded Shoemaker and Schaffer. Central had advanced on a first-round bye created by the South’s absence, leaving them rested while Green River entered the match off a grueling three-setter. Central dominated 6-0, 6-0 on their way to the title. English and Britton bounced back in the consolation semifinals, beating Torrington’s Grubbs and Hernandez 7-5, 6-2, but ran into Micheli and Woods again for third place. In another three-set battle, they came up just short, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to finish fourth. Micheli and Woods benefitted twice from the same imbalance, receiving another unusual bye in the third-place bracket because South’s absence again left a gap. That quirk also affected Rock Springs. The Tigers’ pair of Harris and Pugmire lost their semifinal and were forced to face Micheli and Woods, who were coming in fresh. Rock Springs pushed it to three sets but fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
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The lack of a South entry also reshaped the path at No. 3 doubles, where Green River and Rock Springs collided in a key semifinal. Green River’s Maez and Kendall and Rock Springs’ Zancanella and Bear both earned straight-set wins in the opening round before meeting in a marathon showdown. Green River survived, rallying to win 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4. The Wolves then fell in the championship, settling for second. Meanwhile, Rock Springs was forced into another tough draw in the consolation bracket. Torrington’s Hager and Matlock had advanced without playing because South didn’t field a team, leaving them fresher for the third-place bracket semifinal match. The Tigers dropped another tight one 7-6 (4), 6-2, finishing just outside the podium.
