Oct. 21—ROCHESTER — Last year made it 26 out of 27 years that Mayo qualified for the girls tennis state tournament.
That is a dynastic mark. But prior to 2023, the Spartans were never quite good enough to do what they coveted most — win a state title.
Those days are now done. It’s a thirst that was finally quenched last season, Mayo beating Edina 6-1 in the Class 2A state championship dual.
Now that they’ve done it once, they’re gunning for more.
Mayo is the top-ranked team in a state tournament that is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the University of Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center. The No. 1-seeded Spartans begin play at 8 a.m. Tuesday against unseeded Eden Prairie in a state quarterfinal dual. A win there would put them in Wednesday’s 8 a.m. semifinals against the winner of the dual between No. 4 Maple Grove and No. 5 Elk River. The championship match is at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Anything less than a second consecutive state title will be disappointing for Mayo, as well as surprising. The Spartans are that proven and that good.
Mayo boasts three of the top-10 ranked players in the state, including the top two. Defending individual singles state champion Claire Loftus, a senior, is No. 1 and her sister Aoife Loftus, a sophomore, is No. 2. Ranked seventh is Mayo sophomore Malea Diehn.
And if the rankings went beyond the top 10, Mayo junior Ana Medina would likely find herself around 15th and senior Keely Ryder would also be in that territory.
It’s been a different year for No. 1-ranked Mayo, full of expectations. So far it’s lived up to all of them as it strides into the state tournament unbeaten. That includes having beaten the No. 2-ranked team in the state, Edina, twice — 5-2 and 6-1.
“It’s different to be on the other side of this (favored to win it all),” Mayo coach Jeff Demaray said. “We’ve obviously had an ‘X’ on our back all season as the defending state champion. But our process hasn’t changed. We are still taking it one match at a time and are focused on the next point. We control the things that we can control and that is to try to get better as tennis players as well as the mental game. It is different for us in that we are the favorites, but there will be some quality teams up there.”
This is actually the second time that Mayo has been favored to win it all, having been the top seed last year also. But as a program that had never finished as state champion, it didn’t quite buy into that No. 1 seed until it had finished the deal.
Now, there are no questions asked. Now, it is on the Spartans to live up to expectations by bringing home the school’s second straight girls tennis crown. Mayo is ranked first, Edina second, Mounds View third, Maple Grove fourth and Elk River fifth.
“We are pretty confident because we’ve been playing well all season,” Mayo senior doubles player Charlotte Colby said. “But there are some really good teams at state so we have to stay focused. There is a little bit of pressure being the No. 1 seed and defending state champion. But we just want to do our best and have a lot of fun up there. This season has been so much fun. As a senior, I just want to soak up every minute of it.”
Demaray has had high praise all season for his three senior captains, Claire Loftus, Ryder and Colby. Their leadership, he says, has been off the charts.
That’s allowed this Mayo team to flourish and be considered arguably the best Mayo girls tennis team ever.
“The chemistry on this team has been incredible,” Demaray said. “Our captains have done a phenomenal job. They are so supportive of all of our players. They’ve been great leaders, on and off the court, having different sleepovers and bonding events. It’s awesome to see. The camaraderie has been incredible. I can’t thank those captains enough.”
Demaray also gives heavy thanks to what he calls the “Mayo tennis family.” That is, all of the tightly-knit Mayo tennis players and parents who are part of the program now and who have been a part of it in the past.
It was those long-ago and not-so-long-ago players and parents who helped build this program into what it’s become.
That is, one that is out to prove it is currently the best girls tennis program in the state.
