GOLDEN, Colo. — Mines Club Tennis made the most of its home-court advantage Oct. 17-18 at Rolling Hills, capturing both the Gold Bracket and Silver Bracket championships at the Mines Oredigger Classic. Mines A claimed the Gold Bracket title, Mines C won the Silver Bracket, and Mines B finished seventh overall as all three Oredigger squads competed against regional opponents.
Mines A Wins Gold Bracket
Mines A delivered a dominant performance throughout the weekend, opening pool play Saturday with three victories in Pool 3. The Orediggers defeated UCCS B 30-6, Colorado State B 30-4 and Northern Colorado A 30-11 to finish undefeated and earn the No. 2 seed in the Gold Bracket.
The team's depth was evident across all five matchups in each team contest. Against UCCS B, Lily Sommer and Alex Ross won women's doubles 6-1, Gabriel Armstrong and Ben Chandler captured men's doubles 6-2, and Sommer added a 6-0 singles victory. Mines continued its strong play against Colorado State B, sweeping all five matchups and dropping just four games overall.
Mines A closed Saturday with another convincing win, defeating Northern Colorado A 30-11 to advance to Sunday's Gold Bracket competition.
The Orediggers carried their momentum into Sunday, defeating Colorado State C 30-11, Denver A 30-11 and Colorado State A 26-20. Sommer and Erica Maebius delivered key performances in women's doubles, while Armstrong, Noah Stenov, Chandler and Federico Proietti contributed across men's doubles, singles and mixed doubles.
The final match against Colorado State A secured the Gold Bracket championship. Mines A won both doubles matches and mixed doubles, while Proietti added a 6-5 men's singles victory to help seal the team result.
Mines A entered the Gold Bracket as the No. 2 seed after finishing tied with Colorado State A in games won and winning percentage during pool play, with Colorado State receiving the top seed. The Orediggers then finished the job on court, closing the tournament as Gold Bracket champions.
Mines B Finishes Seventh
Mines B also advanced to the Gold Bracket after a competitive Saturday in Pool 2. The Orediggers opened with a 27-14 win over UCCS A, taking four of the five matchups. Lilia Emrich and Ariana Linhardt won women's doubles 6-4, Elliot Fearnow and Henry Rexford captured men's doubles 6-2, and Leo Caplinger earned a 6-1 singles win. Liesl Stephenson and Wyatt Windsheimer added a 6-1 mixed doubles victory.
Their second match against Denver A was one of the weekend's closest contests. Mines B fell just short in a 27-26 loss after an extended overtime sequence. The Orediggers won four of the five original matchups, but Denver's mixed doubles victory forced overtime. Mines fought to keep the contest alive before ultimately falling in the deciding super tiebreaker.
Mines B responded in its final pool-play match, defeating Colorado State C 23-18 to secure a Gold Bracket berth as the No. 4 seed.
Sunday brought another challenging slate. Mines B fell to Denver B 25-18 and Colorado State B 26-21, but the Orediggers closed their weekend on a high note with a 26-14 win over Colorado State C. Wins in men's doubles, women's singles, men's singles and mixed doubles helped Mines B finish seventh overall in the tournament.
Mines C Claims Silver Bracket Title
Mines C showed resilience throughout the weekend, opening Pool 1 with a 30-5 loss to Colorado State A before battling Denver B in a close contest, falling 26-23. The Orediggers bounced back in their final pool match with a 25-20 victory over Northern Colorado B.
That finish left Mines C just one game short of qualifying for the Gold Bracket, sending the squad to the Silver Bracket for Sunday's competition.
Mines C made the most of the opportunity. The team opened Sunday with a narrow contest against UCCS A before rebounding with a 25-18 victory over Northern Colorado B. In its final match against UCCS B, Mines C again showed its ability to compete in tight situations, earning a reported 25-22 win to secure the Silver Bracket championship.
Bridget Monroe, Suzanna Hextrum, Liz Chee, Ryan Koerselman and Ethan Shryer were among the Orediggers contributing to Mines C's weekend effort across doubles, singles and mixed doubles. After narrowly missing the Gold Bracket, the squad responded with a strong Sunday performance to finish atop the Silver Bracket.
A Successful Weekend at Home
With Mines A winning the Gold Bracket and Mines C taking the Silver Bracket, the Orediggers finished their home tournament with two bracket championships and a seventh-place finish from Mines B. The weekend highlighted the depth of the Mines club tennis program and the competitiveness of all three squads against teams from across the region.
Hosting the Oredigger Classic at Rolling Hills gave Mines the opportunity to compete on its home courts while testing its lineups across singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Each squad faced challenges throughout the weekend and responded with important wins, culminating in two bracket titles for the Orediggers.
Mines leaves the Oredigger Classic with two championships, valuable match experience and momentum to carry into the remainder of the fall season.
