Rochester Mayo tops Edina, wins girls tennis team state tournament on 26th try in 27 years

Rochester Mayo girls tennis coach Jeff Demaray has been a mainstay at the tennis state tournament for nearly three decades, leading the Spartans to 26 out of 27 appearances.

But it wasn’t until Wednesday that he finally tasted championship victory.

Mayo achieved an undefeated season (26-0) and claimed the top spot in Minnesota’s girls tennis by defeating Edina 6-1 in the Class 2A team championship.

Edina, a historically successful program, put up a fight despite being behind early and trailing 3-0. They showed resilience and came close to a comeback victory.

However, the Spartans showed no signs of faltering. The clinching fourth team point came from sophomore Ana Medina, who secured a crucial victory at No. 4 singles with a score of 6-1, 5-7, 6-0. Medina didn’t initially realize the significance of her match.

“I had no idea, but it does feel really, really good,” said Medina, beaming with joy. “This is something we’ve been focused on all year.”

Mayo received tremendous support during the team tournament, with two fan buses chartered to Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis. The Mayo fans made their presence felt, cheering loudly for every success, singing the school fight song, and expressing their joy after the awards ceremony.

Coach Demaray expressed his gratitude, stating, “This team deserved this because they worked so hard, not just during the season but also in the offseason. The support from all those fans was incredible. It was a truly awesome moment for the Mayo tennis family to finally achieve a team state championship.”

Mayo’s No. 1 singles player, junior Claire Loftus, allowed herself to revel in the accomplishment and spoke about the significance of the victory for the Mayo girls tennis program.

“It’s amazing to be the team that finally did this,” Loftus said. “With the kind of support we had, to think about the history of MGT [Mayo girls tennis] and this being the first time, it just means so much to all of us.”

Class 1A

Unfortunately, Rochester Lourdes couldn’t contribute to a Rochester sweep of the two girls tennis team championships. Blake defeated the defending champion 5-2 to claim the Class 1A title.

As the No. 1 seed, Lourdes entered the tournament with high hopes, but Blake proved to be the superior team by winning three out of four singles matches and two out of three doubles matches.

Blake senior Nana Vang set the tone with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles against Lourdes’ Caroline Daly. Seventh-grader Sienna Szerda also showcased her skills with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles.

Blake secured four of its five victories in straight sets.

This marks Blake’s 14th girls tennis state championship. The team finished the season with a record of 13-7.