No. 1 singles player Shannon Contreras of Ironwood Ridge returns a shot from Tucson High School's Lauren Holland. Contreras coasted to a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

jim davis / arizona daily star

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The Ironwood Ridge girls tennis team, led by sophomore Shannon Contreras, decisively beat Tucson High School 9-0 in Tuesday's 5A region matchup.

No one on the Ironwood Ridge (9-2) roster dropped more than two games per set in a solid showing before regional tournament play begins April 7.

Contreras' powerful ground strokes from the backcourt propelled her to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Tucson No. 1 player Lauren Holland.

Holland's quick agility and footwork kept her in some long rallies with Contreras, even saving one match point by approaching the net and hitting an overhead smash winner.

But the serve and hard-hitting strokes of Contreras led her to the easy victory after Holland's backhand found the net on next match point.

Contreras also contributed to an 8-0 win in doubles with partner Megan Gillespie.

"Today, I held my game and didn't let her get to me," Contreras said of Holland.

Contreras is 9-3 in singles play this season, making her "pretty confident" in her ability to fare well in the regional tournament.

"I need to continue to focus on my own strategy and what I need to do in order to win," Contreras said.

"Shannon is a real student of the game," said Nighthawks coach Bill Little. "She and the rest of the girls are strong athletes all the way through. They do their job and have great momentum, which will carry through for next year."

Other Ironwood Ridge victories came from team captains Emily Pirzynski and Maile Hoffmann at Nos. 2 and 3.

Their ability to push their ground strokes to the corners of the court, making their opponents chase balls, also helped lead to their 8-1 win in doubles.

The captains say Ironwood Ridge's success comes from a blend of competitive play and team bonding, which occurs by organizing team dinners and playing games at practices.

"As long as we're focused, we can continue to win," said Hoffmann, a junior.

"We push our girls to never give up and have that strong perseverance," said Pirzynski, a senior.

Tucson dropped to 1-10 on the season, but the team continues to remain positive, coach Theresa Gibson said.

"Our girls are known to be ladies on the court," said Gibson. "They got to play some tough competition today and throughout the season, but have developed real sportsmanship."

Other matches contributing to the Nighthawks' triumph were a 6-1, 6-1 win from No. 5 Kelley Carson and a 6-0, 6-1 singles win from No. 6 Sarah Mancini. They also played solid defense at the net together for an 8-2 win in the No. 3 doubles position.