The Desert Hills team of Callie Kohler (Cassie’s twin sister), and Anjolie Cummins were facing Cedar’s Remington Nash and Brinlee Hess who had made the finals by upsetting the second-seeded Olivia Obray and Katrina Hafen of Pine View in the semifinals. Pine View’s Brielle Callahan and Cameron Miner at the Region 9 tennis tournament, St George, Utah, Sept. The last match of the day to finish on Saturday was the second doubles final, which was the only bracket where the Thunder didn’t have the top seed going in. Hess and Kohler came back to win the last two sets 6-4, 6-2, setting off a celebration on the court. “We have a saying at Desert Hills, ‘You can’t come from behind unless you’re behind,’” Smith added. “I went out at 0-3 and reminded Faith that she had come back from 1-5 in the final set against Kezos when they were sophomores at second singles two years ago.” “That’s when the Thunder team woke up and got to work,” Smith recalled. Callie and Ashley were on yesterday, and it had everything to do with how they worked hard and prepared and were ready for that match.”įalling behind early was a huge motivator for the Thunder. “Pine View is a great team - those two players (Callahan and Miner) are really good. “Kalli and Ashley have just worked really hard all year to become the best team that they can,” Cooper said. Faith Hess and Cassie Kohler at the Region 9 tennis tournament, St George, Utah, Sept. Kezos and Beckstrom took down Pine View’s Brielle Callahan and Cameron Miner in the semifinals, advancing to the finals to take on Desert Hills. 1 doubles, when Dixie’s Ashley Kezos and Kalli Beckstrom battled the Desert Hills duo of Faith Hess and Cassie Kohler. Kezos and Beckstrom jumped out ahead early, dominating the first set 6-0 and taking a 3-0 lead in the second. The most dramatic finals match of the tournament came in No. “Tia is undefeated on the entire season for a reason: she is a fighter who never gives up.” “Tia tends to start slow, as witnessed by her being down 1-3 in the opening set,” Smith said of Turley, whose record improved to 26-0. 3 singles, Desert Hills’ Tia Turley took out Dixie’s Brynlee Cardall 6-4, 6-3 in the finals. “Kinzie only gave up one game in all three of her region matches this weekend,” Smith said of Telford, who is now 25-1 on the season. “She might be 85 pounds soaking wet, but no one hits bigger, has more fight and is a more dominant player than her.” 2 singles, Mackenzie Telford of Desert Hills rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Dixie’s Mychaella Wisneske “Morgan really disciplined herself to remain patient and waited Kezos out,” Smith said. Smith said Kezos played a very consistent game, which forced Behymer to change her tactics from an attacking game to a patient one. Down 3-4 in the first set, Behmyer came back and won 6-4, 6-4. 1 singles, the Lady Thunder’s Morgan Behymer faced freshman Kylie Kezos from Dixie in the final. Dixie’s Kylie Kezos at the Region 9 tennis tournament, St George, Utah, Sept. All the schools have worked really hard, so it has been fun to watch.”Įxcept for one match, a come-from-behind thriller, Desert Hills swept every other finals match in straight sets. All year, Desert Hills took first in region regular season, we took second. “Our first, second and third singles are playing for first and second against Desert Hills, and then our first doubles, as well. “It’s been two great days of tennis,” Cooper said. “Every team is gunning for us and it becomes a battle not just of the players we are on the court with at the time, but we can feel that every team is pulling for anyone to top us.”īefore the first place matches began, Dixie Head Coach Ken Cooper talked about the tournament and his teams going up against Desert Hills. “We know we have a huge target on our back,” Desert Hills Thunder Head Coach Dave Smith said. GEORGE - The Desert Hills High School girls tennis team swept top honors at the Region 9 tournament at the Tonaquint Tennis Center last weekend, capturing first place in all five brackets.
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