ROCHESTER — In two years, don’t be the least surprised if the roles are reversed.
Century believes it can be that good in girls tennis in 2027. The Panthers are darned good right now, ranked eighth in state Class 2A and with just three losses, to No. 2 ranked Minnetonka, No. 6 Mounds View and on Thursday 6-1 to No. 1 and two-time state defending champion Mayo on the Spartans’ home courts.
The projected role reversal would be with Mayo, a team that by 2027 will have graduated its current top four ranked players — junior Malea Diehn (No. 2 in the state), junior Aoife Loftus (No. 3), senior Ana Medina (No. 6) and senior Ellie Elder (in the top 15, if the rankings went that high).
Century doesn’t currently have anyone ranked in the state’s top 10. But by then, expect current eighth-grader Catherine Li, sophomore Zoe Zhang and possibly a to-be-named later eighth grader to have reached that status.
Look out for the Panthers, they’re coming.
“Realistically, we can’t beat Mayo right now,” Century coach Ben Maes said. “But in two years we’ll be able to compete to get to state for sure. And we might be able to win it. But we’ve got to get to state first before we can say that.”
All of that in mind, Century treated what was in front of them Thursday as an invitation. An invitation, that is, to get better. To start building for 2027.
There is no pressure against the state’s No. 1 team right now, just an opportunity to improve here and have an experience there.
A prime example was what happened at No. 1 singles. That is where eighth-grader Li took on junior Diehn. It was really no contest. Diehn’s game is that advanced and powerful. But Li is looking ahead. In two more years, she can well imagine herself blasting ground strokes and serves and covering ground like the lankly and wiry strong Diehn does now.
Just give it some time. Li has every intention of continuing to work on her game year round.
“I saw what we had today as an opportunity,” said Li, who lost 6-0, 6-0 to Diehn. “It’s not every day you get to play these kinds of players and do these kinds of things, you know. (Diehn) is way up there. But hopefully, in another two years, I’m way up there.”
As much as anything, Maes wants his team to use this year and next to learn how to compete.
Mayo’s Malea Diehn returns the ball to Century’s Catherine Li during a Big Nine Conference girls tennis match on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, at Mayo High School in Rochester.
Maya Giron / Post Bulletin
He wants them to see themselves as special. Or at least to have the possibility of turning themselves into special players. He believes the talent is there.
“These girls just need to believe in themselves,” Maes said. “We are a good team this year. But we haven’t played our best tennis yet and we are ranked eighth. So you can imagine where we will be when we work harder in the off-season and compete harder. We’re going to be a pretty good team. I mean, right now, every match we play is an opportunity to get better. But in two years we are going to have 10 really solid players, which if you want to do well as a team, is what you need. You’ve got to have that. And that’s what Mayo has right now.”
Mayo was without two of its top players Thursday, Loftus and Medina both out sick. So there was plenty of roster shuffling that went on. That included Elder going from No. 4 singles to No. 2 singles. She did it well, winning her match 6-0, 6-0.
“It meant that some players had to step up,” Elder said. “It was going to be a challenge. But I think we’ve been really good at stepping up all year.”
Elder has rich appreciation for playing on this No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Mayo team.
It’s everything she could hope for, including camaraderie that is off the charts.
“I think we are really good at trying our best every day,” Elder said. “And we are also really good as a team. We support each other and I think that’s the main thing. We help each other, build each other up. It’s really great to be a part of this. The people are really nice, which I think is the main thing. And we are winning, too.”
Mayo is 19-0 this season and has stretched its win streak to 69 duals over three seasons.
Mayo 6, Century 1
Singles: Malea Diehn def. Catherine Li 6-0, 6-0; Ellie Elder (M) def. Tea McEachern 6-0, 6-0; Emily Loftus (M) def. Rachel Zhang 6-1, 6-0; Mia Zoghby (M) def. Athena Homb 6-3, 6-3. Doubles: Jasmine Yu/Elma Zhang (C) def. Grace Pickering/Lauren Kim 6-0, 6-4; Annabella Camp/Eden Bendel (M) def. Zoe Zhang/Aven Oliver 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Isla Huebner/Ella Brinkman (M) def. Diya Shah/Emma Zhong 7-5, 6-4.
Mayo’s Ellie Elder returns the ball to Century’s Tea McEachern during a no. 2 singles Big Nine Conference girls tennis match on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, at Mayo High School in Rochester.
Maya Giron / Post Bulletin
Pat has been a Post Bulletin sports reporter since 1994. He covers Rochester John Marshall football, as well as a variety of other southeastern Minnesota football teams. Among my other southeastern Minnesota high school beats are girls basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and field, high school and American Legion baseball, volleyball, University of Minnesota sports (on occasion) and the Timberwolves (on occasion). Readers can reach Pat at 507-285-7723 or pruff@postbulletin.com.