Bulldogs tennis captures second straight state title

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The 2018 Judge Memorial Catholic High School tennis team claimed the state championship, giving the Bulldogs back-to-back titles.

SALT LAKE CITY — This was the year for Judge Memorial Catholic High School’s Katherine McPhail, who clinched the state No. 1 singles title Sept. 29 at Liberty Park, finishing the season with an undefeated record.

“It’s been really fun watching her grow up on our team,” coach Tracey Valentine said. “She showed a lot of maturity. She set a goal for herself to finish up by winning in the state tournament. She just practiced and played with confidence all season.”

McPhail, a senior, has accepted a tennis scholarship from the University of New Haven, where she will study criminal justice. She was named the team’s MVP at its final banquet.

 “It was a really good match; it was always close between us,” she said of her final game against Morgan’s Sage Earl, whom she defeated 6-1, 6-1. “It was very nerve-wracking, but I put my nerves under wraps and got the job done and played well.”

It wasn’t just McPhail who had a great season. The whole team did well, combining their scores for a nine-point lead over Morgan and Waterford, giving them the state title.

This was the second title in a row for Judge, which last year narrowly squeezed out Grantsville by one point.

Several Bulldogs also had outstanding seasons. No. 2 singles Olivia Anderson, a junior, beat Waterford’s Noelle Kiefer 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) in the final match. The two had battled all season.

 “We went back and forth with wins and losses,” Anderson said. “She was definitely the best opponent I had all season.”

Anderson, who won state in doubles with Anna Drossos last year, switched to No. 2 singles this year.

“She took all the experience she gained for the year, put it together and played so smart,” Valentine said of Anderson’s final game.

Anderson was named Most Inspirational Player by her teammates.

No. 1 doubles team senior Amy Robinson and Drossos, her partner, were undefeated going into the final round of state play. Robinson, who had previously been a singles player, moved to doubles this year. Robinson and Drossos played a hard final game against Giulia Stocchino/Ines Schmid of Wasatch Academy, but were defeated 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“We put up a good fight in the end,” Robinson said.  “I’m happy with how things turned out.”

While she would have liked to have won at state a second time, Drossos said Wasatch was a great team and “really deserved the win.”

Drossos, who was the team’s co-captain with Anderson this year, has played tennis all four years at Judge and said it has been an amazing experience, particularly with Judge’s two state wins.

 “Every match made a difference,” she said. “I’m very proud of our performance at state and throughout the season.”

Janne Bredehoeft, a German foreign exchange student, has played for nine years with a tennis club back home, but did not anticipate representing Judge at state. Bredehoeft not only played; in No. 2 doubles she and her partner, Hannah Gosse, defeated Morgan’s Emily Wilson/McCall Reid, 6-2, 6-0 in the championship game.

Gosse had never played doubles and was guided by Bredehoeft, who had played both singles and doubles.

“It was an amazing season; I’m super-sad it’s over,” said Bredehoeft, a sophomore who is here only for the fall semester. “It was a cool feeling to be able to help the team repeat their state win.”

This was the first year on the team for Gosse, a junior. While she had played tennis when she was younger, she had been immersed in volleyball the last few years. Tennis was one of the most positive sports she has ever played, she said.

“All the girls were so welcoming and made it feel like a family,” she said.

Coach Tracey Valentine said she encouraged her team members to take one game at a time even when it came to region and state competition.

“I don’t think any of us had any idea how well we were doing until late Saturday,” she said of the state tournament. “Or I probably would have had a heart attack.”

While winning is great, that’s not her focus during the season, Valentine said.

“We got out and worked hard every day,” she said. “We had fun and made sure we smiled and laughed every day.”

The approach worked. Judge swept the region competition and when the state competition was over, the Bulldogs had a final combined score of 22, far ahead of runner-up teams Morgan and Waterford, who each had 13 points.