Lady Broncos are playing solid tennis heading into the final weeks of the season

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School girls tennis team won their opening match of the season three sets to two over Millard on their home courts Tuesday, August 15.
In first singles play junior Madelyn Pugh defeated Riley Wilcox 6-3 and 6-3. In first doubles juniors Amelia McFarland and Shayli Bake defeated seniors Olivia Brown and Rebecca Middleton 6-4 and 6-1.
And in second doubles juniors Markie Bowers and Emily Pugh defeated sophomore Brinlee Allgood and senior Kamry Bairett 6-1 and 6-2.
On August 25 the Lady Broncos hosted the Gunnison Valley Bulldogs, suffering a 3-2 loss. Victorious on the day were the two doubles teams of McFarland/Bake and Bowers/Pugh.
San Juan suffered a 5-0 loss to South Sevier on August 31 on their home courts. In their most recent match on September 7 the girls suffered a 3-2 defeat to local rival Grand County in Moab, but the two doubles teams once again won their matches.
Amazingly the team already played their final match of the regular season on the road against Wasatch Academy on Tuesday, September 12.
The Region 12 Championship is set for September 22 in Monroe, UT. The state tournament will be played on separate weekends with the first round coming up September 30 and the final rounds October 6-7 in Salt Lake City.
Through the first four matches, fourth-year San Juan Head Coach Ciarra Walker said she’s “pleased with how the girls are playing and proud of their hard work and dedication.
“Our girls are positive and are great at lifting each other up,” she continued. “We plan to work on refining skills and learning different strategies for singles and doubles play.
“I believe we’re in the middle of the pack in our region,” Walker explained. The Lady Broncos are playing 2A schools during the regular season, but will be placed into the 3A classification for the state tournament.
“It’s always tough being a smaller 2A school going up against 3A competition,” Walker stated, “but it’s a great opportunity to improve and play some challenging opponents.”
San Juan took all seven of their varsity players to the first round of the state tournament in 2022. They’re hoping to do the same – and maybe more – this season.