2024 Girls Tennis Individual Championship Recap

Minnehaha Academy sophomore Chloe Alley was in the championship spotlight on Friday, Oct. 25 for what she had just accomplished on the tennis court. She was the center of attention as she was first invited to be interviewed by NSPN.tv, the Minnesota State High School League’s streaming partner, then by a major metropolitan daily newspaper before visiting with a reporter from the League. 

It was awkward, it was a whirlwind and she wasn’t sure what to make of the attention. 

“I’ve never been interviewed in my life,” she said. “I’m not sure how I’ll sound or if I’ll answer your questions very well.”

Being interviewed after a championship match is part of the state tournament experience. After defeating Blake sophomore Fatemeh Vang, the No. 2 seed, 6-0, 6-3 to capture the Class A championship at Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in south Minneapolis, the top-seeded Alley skillfully navigated her way through the sudden attention with thoughtful reflection and respect. 

“It really is an honor to win a championship,” Alley said. “A lot goes into it with coaches helping you, teammates supporting you and opponents providing great challenges.”

Wearing the blue-ribboned gold medal of a champion is nothing new for Alley. As an eighth-grader, she teamed with Greta Johnson to win the Class A doubles title in 2022. Alley said she stepped away from the spotlight and let Johnson handle the talking to media, if asked. Last season, she again paired with Johnson and they were the Class A runner-up to Vang and her older sister, Nana.

Alley’s victory over Vang was her third this season. The other two matches came during Independent Metro Athletic Conference season. 

“We know each other pretty well, so there aren’t too many surprises in what we do,” said Alley, a strong baseline player with powerful groundstrokes and a knack for finding the tiny slivers of daylight to fire winners. “We just go out and play strong tennis.”

Alley is the second Girls Tennis champion from Minnehaha Academy, a private school in south Minneapolis. The other was Ancele Dolensek in 2021. 

Banner day for Maple River

In what many tennis followers believe is a first at the state tournament, two unseeded teams met for the Class A doubles championship. Both were from Maple River in southern Minnesota. In a riveting championship between teammates and friends, the duo of  Macy Sohre and Kelsey Jaeger defeated juniors Ally Mersman and Madison Ward, 6-4, 6-4. The match was full of positive energy, cheering and proclamations on the impact the four players were making on Maple River’s program. 

During the Section 2A qualifying, the outcome was reversed. 

“This was an exciting match in so many ways,” Sohre said. “Everything about this is positive.”

Sohre said the pre-match routine didn’t waver when they spent plenty of time with their teammates/opponents.

“We had a lot of fun like we usually do,” she said. “There are no issues there. The bus ride home will be just as great as it always is.”

Sohre and Jaeger are the first Class A doubles champions from a public school since 1997 when Crookston’s Liz Ames and Katie Hunt teamed to win the crown. 

Class AA

Rochester Mayo senior Claire Loftus capped her high school career with one final championship. The top seed in the big-school field recorded a 5-7, 7-5 2-0 victory over Elk River senior Ava Nelson, the No. 3 seed. Nelson could not continue in the third set because of cramps in her right quadriceps, an injury she suffered during the second set.  

Loftus ended her stellar career as a five-time state champion: two team titles, two singles crowns and a doubles championship. She finished her senior season 28-0, and over the past two seasons, had a 54-match winning streak.

Mounds View sisters Rory, a junior, and Reese, a freshman teamed for the first time ever this postseason to record a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Edina’s Astrid Kerrman and Raya Hou in the big-school championship match.