Steamboat Mountain School junior Grace Brice is lethal with a tennis racket in her hand. 

The lefty is the Steamboat Springs girls tennis’ No. 2 singles player, and she is off to an incredible start to the season. Following her overall win at a tournament in Eaton last weekend, Brice continues to push to get better. 

Steamboat Springs invited Vail Christian to town for a match Friday, March 31, at the Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball Center. 

---

---

Brice won her first set 6-2 over Vail’s Summer Sveum. She followed that by taking an early 5-2 advantage in the second set. 

As she stepped onto the court to finish things up, head coach Bill Conway called her name and gave her some advice. 

---

---

“The hardest thing to do is close out,” Conway told Brice. “Stay focused and keep your feet moving.”

Brice took the advice to heart and finished the match with a 6-2 win in the second set. 

“I was able to win last week’s tournament, and then today, I was able to step up and I played really well compared to how I usually play,” Brice said. 

This victory was more impactful for Brice than most other girls. As part of the Steamboat Mountain School’s global studies program, Brice will soon take an international trip and miss a big chunk of the season. 

“On April 10, I leave for Morocco and we’re gone for three and a half weeks,” Brice said. “We’re going to travel around everywhere and it’s going to be tons of fun, but sadly I miss part of the season.” 

Not just part of the season. After Steamboat’s home tournament on Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8, the next time Brice will compete is at the regional tournament in May. 

---

Get the top stories in your inbox every morning. Sign up here: steamboatpilot.com/newsletter

---

Missing so much time will push her down the rankings, making the next week imperative to her season.

Brice will have two matches on Saturday, April 1, against Glenwood Springs and then compete at the Steamboat Invitational in a six-school pool. She will need to do well in both competitions to remain in decent standing for the regional. 

Conway has all the confidence in the world in Brice. He said her leadership on the team has been a driving factor for the group’s success and she will have no issue getting back into the swing of things for regionals. 

“Grace has put a ton of work in and it’s really showing in her game,” Conway said. “She has the work ethic that I preach to them all the time and that’s the big thing.”