The Stevens girls’ tennis team won its 4th championship in 5 years, one of the greatest runs in South Dakota girls tennis history. They were tearing up South Dakota with Bella Scott and Sylvie Mortimer bringing fear to schools and leading the raiders to victories.
They won four championships with this year being the most memorable. Each of the 50 girls contributed to this year’s championship. They worked hard on and off the court to pursue a future for themselves. They were led by coaches Jason Olson, Ryan Chalberg, and Paul Hendry. The girls were undefeated in the regular season which brought a lot of pressure to succeed in the state tournament.
Stevens had four seniors on their team this year, Scott, Maddie Marsh, Mortimer, and Elena Braun, who lead with poise and determination. In the state championship they had 486.5 points with Sioux Falls Lincoln coming in second tallying 417.5 points. It was a great season “the senior tennis season was unforgettable-filled with fun, a little sadness, and pure joy because we won state as a team.” said Mortimer.
Braden Nelson, Stevens boys tennis player says, “Bella Scott had a good season and she competed well finishing 3rd overall at state with a tough loss in the semi finals”. She put on a great performance and barely lost. He also said, “Sylvia Mortimer came into state as the 4 seed and won state by destroying in her finals match.” A great season to remember, Mortimer won by a landslide showing what Stevens is about.
Going undefeated 22-0 was no easy task, but the girls made it look simple yet again. And they will look to capitalize on the experience again next year.