St. Joseph's rolls past John Burroughs in powerhouse girls team tennis district final
The fourth time was the charm for St. Joseph's Academy senior tennis players Ali Kennedy and Ashley Behan, who won the Class 3 state doubles title last year but had lost all three times they played Allie Wayne and Isabelle Hawkins of John Burroughs this season.
The most recent loss came last Friday in the doubles final of the individual district tournament. But Behan and Kennedy were locked in from the start Wednesday in the Class 3 District 2 team championship. They won 8-3 to help the Angels to a sweep of the three doubles matches against the defending team champions. John Burroughs and St. Joseph's have combined to win all four Class 3 titles since the state went to three classes in 2020. John Burroughs and St. Joseph's each won team titles in 2019 in Class 1 and 2 respectively.
The doubles sweep propelled the Angels to a 5-0 win on their home court. They will host undefeated Rock Bridge in the Class 3 quarterfinals Monday.
"We were very focused today, even in the pre-match warmups," Behan said. "We are seniors who didn't want the season to end here (St. Joe's lost to John Burroughs 5-0 in last year's district championship). It was important for us to start well today. We did that and finished well, too."
"We were mentally prepared for this match," Kennedy said. "I think one of the differences from the other times we played them was that we were more active at the net."
The Angels won as expected at No. 2 doubles with freshman standout Adelyn Gross and Sophie Palatnick.
Lily Shah and Libby Dunleavy gave the Angels the doubles sweep with a win at No. 3 doubles.
"The No. 3 doubles spot is a much overlooked position," Angels coach Doug Smith said. "This is the third combination we have used there this year. They were rock solid today.
"And the win at No. 1 with Ali and Ashley was enormous and to many unexpected given the previous matches this year. We tried to anticipate how they might match up in doubles. But in the end we stuck with our normal doubles lineup and they got the job done. Any time you sweep the three doubles spots you have the match in the pocket unless something crazy happens."
That would not happen as Behan and Caroline Miedler won the first two completed singles matches at No. 3 and 5 respectively.
The team season ended for the 2023 champion Bombers, although they did advance Mayumi Ross in singles and Wayne and Hawkins in doubles for the individual state tournament in Springfield next week.
"St. Joseph's is solid top to bottom," John Burroughs coach Lindsay Carlile said. "This is a special matchup, and you've got to bring your best and they certainly did today. I believe they will make quite a run. I was proud of our girls as well. I like to ask everyone after the match if they gave their all. The answer was yes for all of them."
The Angels will see a familiar opponent Monday.
"In my many years here, Rock Bridge has been our biggest nemesis and chief rival," Smith said. "But I like our chances if we play Monday like we did today."
