Girls tennis is the earliest fall sport to wrap up, as state tournament action began Sept. 28. Heading into the state championships, the Mountain Ridge Sentinels took the top spot in Region 2. 

“We have had a great season this year,” head coach Preston Gardner said. “This is the best team that we have had since I have been the coach. The girls have all worked really hard, and their hard work is paying off.”

The entire Mountain Ridge varsity team qualified for state thanks to the region-winning tournament. Capri Fife, Sophia Packer and Isabelle Leak were Mountain Ridge’s top performers throughout the season. Gardner said Kate Burton was the team’s most improved player. She began the year on the JV squad but worked her way up to varsity by the end of the season. 

The season started off on the wrong foot for the Sentinels, but the players quickly regrouped and went on an impressive winning streak that concluded with the big victory at the region tournament. 

“We have had a lot of highlights this season,” Gardner said. “We lost a match early on in the season, which put our back against the wall a bit. After that first loss, we went undefeated and ended up winning the region.”

With such a short season—only two months—it’s important the girls are ready to compete from day one. Players also need to stay active and play as much as possible before the season gets underway. Gardner was pleased that his players put in the time during the spring and summer.

“So many girls worked hard last offseason and are playing at a high level,” he said. “It is fun to see their success.”

The preliminary rounds of the Class 6A state tournament began Sept. 23 and continued with the round of 16 on Sept. 28. 

In first singles, Fife had a bye in the round of 32 but lost her round of 16 match 6-0, 6-4. Leake also had a bye in the opening round. She then defeated her second singles opponent in the round of 32 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals against Eden Conley of Lone Peak. Packer was the third seed in third singles and got to skip the opening round as well. In the round of 16, she got past her opponent 6-3, 6-4. On Sept. 28, her season came to an end at the hands of Naomi Johnson of Skyridge, 6-0, 6-1. The Sentinels’ doubles teams lost in the round of 16. λ