Niwot boys tennis team's state championship run falls short in quarterfinals

For the second straight season, Niwot High School was eliminated in the Class 4A boys tennis state tournament quarterfinals. This year, it was No. 2 seed Colorado Academy that delivered a 6-1 defeat of the No. 7 Cougars on Friday, Sept. 30.

Niwot's lone victory came courtesy of sophomore Oskar Hansen at No. 2 singles. In the No. 1 singles match, Niwot senior LiChen Liao, who forfeited his first-round match two days prior due to a sprained ankle, lost in a third-set tiebreaker.

Each of the Cougars' seven lines still have an opportunity to earn some hardware this season, however, via the individual state championships. To qualify, a first or second-place finish is needed at regionals. Niwot is set to host Dawson, Frederick, Longmont, Mountain View and Riverdale Ridge at the Region 5 tournament from Oct. 4-5.

In the first round of the team state championships, Niwot took care of No. 10 seed George Washington at home, 5-2, on Sept. 27. The Cougars swept the four doubles matches while sophomore Charlie Kirtland won No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-1.

Senior Kyle Davidson and junior Sebastion Moy won the No. 1 doubles (6-1, 6-0), juniors Rex Wallington and Ollie Jones the No. 2 doubles (7-6, 6-0), seniors Manan Gangwar and Lauritz Stranzenbach the No. 3 doubles (6-3, 7-6) and juniors Gabe Bandera and Tyler Chivukula secured No. 4 doubles (6-0, 6-3).

"Our doubles, I'm really impressed with," head coach Aimee Irwin said following Niwot's first-round victory.

Irwin added that she was particularly impressed with her No. 4 doubles team of Bandera and Chivukula. "They just went lights out," Irwin said.

At No. 1 singles, Liao dropped his first set before tweaking his ankle. With the match already well within Niwot's control, Irwin decided to play things safe and remove her top talent, resulting in the forfeit. Liao's focus now shifts to winning his second individual state title - he won the No. 2 doubles state tournament as a sophomore in 2021.

From a player's perspective, Davidson noted that Niwot took significant leaps forward this year despite having a new-look lineup. "It's been a great season this year," he said. "I think the team is honestly better even though we lost some good players. I think we're really strong this year and I think the chemistry is there."