Three years ago, this was still just a goal to pursue.
After Rochester Mayo won its third straight girls tennis state championship Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over Minnetonka at the University of Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center, the Spartans can officially call themselves a dynasty in the making.
“Not officially a dynasty,” Spartans head coach Jeff Demaray said. “When I think of a dynasty, I think of Edina, winning every year from 1997 to 2019, winning every single one but one. But yes, we’ve had great success over the last three years.”
The reason? The Spartans pay the price. Every player on the team, with one exception, plays a heavy schedule of USTA tennis. When the high school season rolls around, they’re battle-tested. High school tennis is a chance to alleviate a little pressure and spend a few months playing tennis with their school friends.
“I play a lot of tennis to prepare for this,” said junior Malea Diehn, the Spartans’ No. 1 singles player. “My improvement slows down a little [during the high school season], but improvement fluctuates.”
Senior Ana Medina, who transferred to Mayo from Rochester Lourdes after eighth grade, said the benefits of playing high school tennis outweigh anything that might be gained against USTA competition.
“We push each other to get better every day because the bar is so high,” Medina said. “We have so many quality players, every day you’re thinking ‘How can I get better?’ It’s beneficial for all of us.”
And the players agree: High school tennis is a different kind of fun.