Tennis
Why now is the time for South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis to break through at state
SOUTH BEND — It’s now or never for the South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis team.
That’s what it feels like, at least.
Sure, the Huskies will reload after this season, and four of the current seven players in the varsity lineup will return in 2025. But with three strong seniors, loads of experience and plenty of postseason heartbreak to motivate them, this weekend’s state tournament feels like the best chance Saint Joseph will have of bringing the big trophy home for a while.
VOTE: South Bend Tribune Athlete of the Week, May 20-28, 2024
“I think this year, more than ever, we want it the most because we’ve been on that stage three times,” senior Molly Bellia said. “We know what it feels like to come up short, and we know how special it would be if we could do it this year.”
Bellia has been the leader of the Saint Joe program the last four years. Playing in the No. 1 singles spot, she’s amassed 101 career individual victories. She won the individual state tournament championship as a freshman and was runner-up in that event last year.
More: With Molly Bellia as MVP, St. Joe tennis sweeps all-conference awards
The team state title, though, has alluded Bellia and her teammates. A large part of that is due to Carmel, who eliminated the Huskies each of the last three seasons — twice in the state finals (2021, 2023) and once in the state semis (2022).
There’s no Carmel in the state tournament this year, however, because Saint Joseph knocked them out in semistate this past Saturday. It might have been the last mental hurdle for the Huskies to clear as they look to win the program’s first state title since 2010.
More: South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis gets over the Carmel hump in semistate championship
“It was a really great feeling to get over that hump,” Bellia said. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into this weekend because it’s something different than the last three years.”
The urgency to win has been there for Saint Joseph all season, especially from the three seniors. Bellia, Ashi Amalnathan and Dani Graham have all been four-year varsity players, experiencing the heartbreaking losses to Carmel firsthand. They knew they wanted this season to end differently from the first day of practice.
“Because of how me, Molly and Ashi are all in the same class and Anni (Amalnathan) is right behind us, this is our last chance to do it all together,” Graham said. “I think you realize how badly you want it because this could be the last time and it’s almost gone.”
A lot of eyeballs have been on Saint Joseph all season. They started the season ranked No. 2 in the state, moving to the top spot midway through the year after Carmel lost a handful of matches. The Huskies are 19-1, with its only defeat coming to a team from Kentucky in the first tournament they played in mid-April.
Along the way, they’ve picked up wins against several of the state’s best, including who they’ll face in Friday’s state quarterfinal match, No. 4 Jasper. It’ll be the third straight year the Huskies and Wildcats have faced off in this round of the tournament.
While Carmel might not be in the field, other quality teams are. Should Saint Joseph win Friday, a likely semifinal match with No. 9 Lafayette Harrison would be next. Other top-10 teams in No. 2 Fishers and No. 6 Franklin Community are on the other side of the draw as well.
“If you look at it, we do not have an easy draw,” Saint Joseph coach Bill Mountford said. “Jasper is absolutely a top-five team. We’ve got Fishers and Harrison waiting there if we get past Jasper. There’s certainly no gimmie, as far as our schedule goes.”
This season marks the ninth time Mountford has led Saint Joseph to state weekend. It’s a grueling way to end the year, as teams will have to play three matches in about a 24-hour span if they want to win the state championship. Friday’s quarterfinals are at noon, while the semifinals and final are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, respectively.
That’s why everything gets fine-tuned in practice this week, including conditioning.
“We just want to make sure we do everything to be prepared,” Mountford said.
Three more wins this weekend for Saint Joseph would cap off the best four-year stretch in program history. Getting to state four consecutive years is a tremendous accomplishment. Now, it’s about finishing the story the right way.
“It would mean everything,” Graham said. “We want to do it for ourselves, but I also want to win for coach. I think the difference this year is we all want it more for our team than ourselves. It would be amazing.”
IHSAA girls tennis state finals
WHO: Saint Joseph vs. Jasper
WHEN: Friday
WHERE: Carmel High School, Carmel
START TIME: Noon
Winner advances to state semifinals Saturday, 10 a.m. at North Central High School in Indianapolis. They will face either Floyd Central or Lafayette Harrison. The state championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at North Central.
20/7/2024 Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets – Rosehill, Winter Challenge day
 "BCCI want Test specialists to play domestic cricket; Rohit, Virat, Bumrah to be exceptions")
BCCI want Test specialists to play domestic cricket; Rohit, Virat, Bumrah to be exceptions
HORSE RACING DAY 5: Andrew Champagne’s picks, analysis, bankroll
HORSE RACING DAY 5: Andrew Champagne’s picks, analysis, bankroll
600 Jobs, 25,000 Seekers: Air India Drive Sets Off Stampede Fear In Mumbai
More Trips, Higher Prices: Business Travel Spending May Finally Top 2019 Levels
Let’s take this offline: why indie fashion boutiques are back in fashion
Blue Jays balance college-heavy Draft with a few high-upside picks
Get to Know Gopher Men’s Basketball’s Frank Mitchell – University of Minnesota Athletics
