Preps Oct. 13: Aspen tennis seventh at state, Basalt softball season ends

Aspen tennis finishes seventh at 4A state tournament

The Aspen High School boys tennis team finished seventh in the Class 4A state tournament, which concluded Saturday in Pueblo. AHS closed with six points in a tourney dominated by state champion Colorado Academy (95 points) and runner-up Niwot (71 points).

The Skiers had a strong first day, winning five of their seven first-round matches on Thursday, including a sweep of the four doubles teams. However, no one advanced past their quarterfinal match on Friday.

Aspen’s No. 1 doubles team of George Ghali and Liam Sunkel, as well as the No. 2 doubles team of Robert Holton and Lukee Tralins, made the playback semifinals before bowing out.

Colorado Academy senior Richter Jordaan won the individual 4A state championship at No. 1 singles. All told, the Mustangs won six of the seven individual titles. Their team title ended Kent Denver’s five-year reign as the 4A state champions; the Sun Devils finished fourth this year.

Basalt softball loses to La Junta in regional play

The Basalt High School softball season came to an end Saturday with a 13-6 regional loss to No. 18 seed La Junta. Basalt, seeded No. 15, trailed 5-0 going to the bottom of the third inning before getting a run across. La Junta had a 7-4 lead going to the top of the seventh inning, where it scored six more runs to put the game out of reach.

La Junta then went on to lose 13-3 to No. 2 seed Eaton, which hosted Saturday’s regional games. Both Eaton and La Junta advance to the 3A state tournament. Basalt finishes its season with a 9-10 overall record.

Aspen High School did not make a regional tournament.

Aspen volleyball beats Gunnison

The Aspen High School volleyball team played Saturday afternoon at Gunnison, winning 3-1. The Skiers improved to 13-5 overall with the win, while Gunnison fell to 6-9 overall.

Aspen remains with only a single loss in conference play, which came against front-runner Coal Ridge. The Titans are undefeated in WSL play, including a win over Cedaredge. The Bruins only have the one conference loss, as well.

The Skiers are scheduled to play Tuesday at Vail Mountain before hosting Grand Valley on Thursday for homecoming.

acolbert@aspentimes.com