Mason and Indian Hill added to their tennis trophy haul by repeating as team champions in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association tournament Saturday at the College of Wooster.
The tournament, separate from the Ohio High School Athletic Association singles and doubles tournaments, features team dual matches of three singles courts and two on doubles.
Mason won the title for the eighth consecutive season and Indian Hill won its second in a row. Mason advanced to the finals after defeating Toledo Anthony Wayne 3-0 in the semifinals.
Key contributors in the semifinal win over the Generals included Emma Wagner, who swept her No. 3 singles opponent 6-0, 6-1. In the No. 1 doubles match, Adriana Moreno and Bhavana Singidi rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory, while Ana Gotike and Saanvi Reddy won comfortably at No. 2 doubles with a 6-2, 6-0 score. Addison Cassidy led 6-0, 5-1 at No. 1 singles, and Pratyusha Chaudhuri was ahead 6-0, 3-2 at No. 2 singles when the match was called.In a rematch of last year’s state championship, Mason blanked Upper Arlington 3-0 to claim the title. Chaudhuri continued her strong performance, dominating her opponent 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. The second point came from Moreno and Singidi, who powered their way to a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles.The decisive point came at No. 1 doubles, where Emma Wagner teamed up with Saanvi Reddy to secure a 6-0, 6-1 victory, sealing the title for Mason. Addison Cassidy was leading 6-2, 3-0 at No. 1 singles, and Ana Gotike was ahead 6-1, 4-0 at No. 3 singles when the match was called.
Cassidy was coming off her individual state singles championship on Friday, her first state title. Chaudhuri and Wagner won the state doubles title for the second straight year on Friday. The other four players also qualified for state this week.
“Every player on the team played their best tennis of the year at the end of the season; very gratifying as a coach to watch it all come together,” said head coach Mike Reid. “We’ve got incredible kids, not just as good players: they’re smart, hardworking, and fun to be around. Really competitive kids who come together as a team when it counts.”
The top seven players for the Mason tennis program all return next season. They all contributed in various ways during the season. Chaudhuri and Wagner, for example, played mostly singles during the regular season as well as during the team tournament.
Reid said part of that was because of multiple players having minor injuries at times.
“Everyone on our team knows that our lineups are usually a game time decision and they could play singles or doubles on any given day,” Reid said. “I think it’s good for our players in many ways to play singles and doubles in terms of their skills and in getting to know and work with a variety of players on the team. We’re really fortunate to have a group of kids that are ready to play whatever position it takes to help the team get the win.”
Indian Hill repeats in Division II
Indian Hill beat Maumee Valley Country Day, 3-0 and Gilmour Academy, 3-1 to win the Division II championship. Sophia Thompson in singles, and the doubles team of Caroline Brown and Cassie Larsen both reached the OHSAA state semifinals on Friday.
Thompson and Brown played singles in the team tournament, along with junior Ayla Daoud. Larsen played doubles with senior Nayla Azarbeygui, and sophomore Genevieve Chasar and junior Grace Nguyen played as a doubles team. Reese Hazen also was on the roster.
“They’re resilient,” said head coach Wade Ward. “They worked extremely hard. We teach the players that if they do the right things and believe in themselves, good things can happen.”
Ward said the doubles teams stepped up under the pressure.
“They really won our matches for us,’ Ward said. “That was really exciting for them. It was a great experience for them.”
It was the last triumph with Indian Hill for Ward, who left Sunday for Ithaca, New York, where he will be an assistant coach for the Cornell University women’s tennis program. Ward has been with Indian Hill since 2016, when he took over the boys program, and began coaching the girls team in 2020.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mason, Indian Hill repeat as OTCA team girls tennis state champions
