Morenci tennis girls win one of four duels during opening week; end third in Duncan tourney

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Morenci sophomore Arisela Morales posted a 2-2 record in the opening week of competition as the team’s top seed.

By Raymundo Frasquillo

DUNCAN – Morenci’s girls tennis ended third following Duncan’s four-team 2017 H.T. Clothier Invitational Tournament on Saturday, March 4, to finish 1-3 in duels during their initial week of competition. The young Wildcats’ 10 points in Duncan were scored by winning eight of 18 singles and two of nine doubles matches.

Meet winner Tombstone totaled 19 points, second place Duncan 17 and fourth place Saint David eight.

Tombstone edged Duncan, 5-4, and topped both St. David, 9-0, and Morenci by identical 7-2 scores .Duncan defeated St. David, 7-2, and Morenci, 6-3, and Morenci slipped past St. David, 5-4.

Individually, Tombstone won the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles plus No. 2 doubles; St. David won the No. 1 and No. 2 singles and Duncan won the No. 6 singles plus No. 1 and No. 3 doubles.

Morenci was edged, 4-5, by the Cowboys in Willcox during the March 2 season opener.

Morenci at DHS tourney

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Senior Bryanna Salaiz went 1-3 during the opening week as Morenci’s No. 2 seed.

Morenci’s singles wins were posted by No. 1 sophomore Arisela Morales (2-2), 6-2 over Duncan sophomore Brooklyn Kempton and 6-3 over Ali Armenta of Tombstone;  No. 2 senior Byranna Salaiz (1-3), 7-5 over Duncan senior Chloe Hinton; No. 3 freshman Keona Cortez (1-3), 7-3 in the tie-breaker over Emma Judd of St. David after a 6-6 deadlock; No. 4 freshman Monica Gonzales (1-3), 6-2 over Camila Freestone of St. David; No. 5 freshman Reona Alvarez (3-1), 6-2 over Alana Betancourt of St. David and 6-4 over Naltalie Jensen of Duncan and by No. 6 freshman Corrie White (2-2), 6-0 over Hunter Wilson of St. David.

The Alvarez – Madalyn Wright duo (2-2) and the Morales – Salaiz duo (1-3) posted a win apiece, 6-3 over Betancourt – Wilson of St. David and 6-1 over Armenta – Garner of Tombstone, respectively.

Singles losses were by Morales, 0-6 to Ashlyn Trejo of St. David;  Salaiz, 2-6 to Lily Clark of St. David and 1-6 to McKenna Sosa of Tombstone; Cortez, 1-6 to Hannah Thomas of Duncan and 2-6 to Angie Garner of Tombstone; Gonzales, 3-6 twice to both Lillie Smith of Duncan and Paris Bryant of Tombstone; Alvarez, 4-6 to Rebecca Pejak of Tombstone and by White, 6-7 (3) to Kaitlyn Lunt of Duncan and 2-6 to Helena Watson of Tombstone.

The doubles losses were by Morales – Salaiz, 2-6 to Trejo – Clark of St. David and 0-6 to Kempton – Thomas of Duncan; Gonzales – White (0-4), 3-6 to both Judd – Freestone of St. David and Hinton – Lunt of Duncan plus 1-6 to Armenta – Garner of Tombstone and by Alvarez – Wright, 2-6 to Smith – Lunt of Duncan and 3-6 to Bryant – Watson of Tombstone.

Morenci at Willcox

Two of six singles and one of three doubles matches resulted in Wildcats wins.

Alvarez shutout junior Alexia Osornio, 8-0, and White defeated sophomore Nubia Moran, 8-6, in singles plus the Alvarez – Wright duo downed Osornio – Moran, 8-4.

Singles loses were by Morales, 7-9,  to sophomore Abby Bull;  Salaiz, 3-8, to sophomore Isis Gijzenberg; Cortez, 1-8, to senior Vanessa Acosta and by Gonzales, 2-8, to sophomore Allison Melton.

The doubles losses were by Morales – Salaiz, 5-8, to Bull – Gijzenberg and by Gonzales  White, 1-8, to Acosta – Melton.

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