By Mason B. Niederhauser
mason@du2.byu.edu
When BYU Racquetball coach Dennis Fisher predicted a complete Cougar sweep going into this weekend's Rocky Mountain Region Racquetball Tournament, some may have thought he was a little over-confident.
However, after the men's, women's and combined teams each walked away with first place medals in their hands Saturday afternoon, Fisher's pre-tournament statements couldn't have been more accurate.
'I was extremely proud of the way Team BYU played,' Fisher said. 'The tournament was a great success.'
The Cougars received outstanding performances from every member of the team. With nothing less than a second-place finish in every category, they validated themselves as one of the top teams in the nation.
Although the results paint a dominating picture for BYU, the Rocky Mountain Region is considered to be one of the toughest around. With competitors representing Utah State, Weber State, Air Force, Ricks, the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley State College, the Cougars faced the best in the intermountain area.
'We are blessed to be in the strongest region in the States,' Fisher said. 'This gave me a good look at where we stand and how the players are doing under the pressure of tough competition.'
Based on the results, the Cougars are doing just fine under that pressure. They had first-place performances from Jared Sorenson, Merrill Dibble, Ron Schoville, Valorie Woodbury, Samantha Hinton, Jannette Olsen and Shannon Bridge in the singles division.
The doubles division proved to be just as impressive, with first-place honors going to the teams of Sorenson and Brian Gill, Schoville and Dibble, Woodbury and Megan Morris, and Olson and Hinton.
Going into the tournament, Fisher's biggest concern was that of the doubles teams. However, after winning first place in four of the six doubles categories, his worries were quickly eliminated.
'I feel much better about my women's team now, especially doubles, than I did two weeks ago,' Fisher said.
In a tournament such as this weekend's championships, few realize the amount of racquetball each player was required to play in a short amount of time. The average player faced eight opponents over the course of the two-day tournament, enough to test anyone's stamina.
'This was not a tournament for anyone who was out of shape,' Fisher said. 'There were many matches that were so close. There were a record amount of tie breakers.'
The Cougar squad will now focus their efforts on the National Intercollegiate Racquetball Championships April 7-11 at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.