It's a sister act as several Cincinnati girls qualify for state tennis tournament

After a full season of high school girls tennis in Ohio, it's nearly time to crown champions. With sectional and district tournaments complete, the top 16 singles players and the top 16 doubles teams in both divisions will compete for the title.

The state tournament will be Oct. 16 and 17 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the newly renovated campus, which hosts the Cincinnati Open.

Cincinnati sends to the tournament several familiar faces from a year ago, alongside a few newcomers to the state tournament. Here's a breakdown of the Cincinnati high school athletes competing this week.

Mason's Addison Cassidy headlines Division I singles

Addison Cassidy, a senior from Mason, will look to defend her 2024 Division I singles state title. Cassidy has competed in the state tournament every year of her high school career, finishing her freshman season as Division II doubles runners-up at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in 2022 before moving to Mason and qualifying in singles in 2023 and 2024. Cassidy won both the sectional and district tournaments to qualify this season, not losing a single set in either run.

Renee Harper, a sophomore from Oak Hills, makes her second appearance in the state tournament after competing in doubles as a freshman in 2024. Harper was named co-athlete of the year in the Greater Miami Conference, marking back-to-back conference athlete of the year awards for the underclassman. Harper won the sectional tournament and took home third place in the district tournament, falling only to eventual champion Addison Cassidy in a hard-fought match.

Libby Goedde, a senior from Ursuline Academy, will appear in the state tournament for the first time this season. Goedde was a Greater Girls Catholic Leage all-conference first team selection a year ago, and should be a shoo-in for a repeat after finishing second in the sectional tournament and fourth in the district tournament. Goedde is the first GGCL girls tennis player to qualify for state singles since 2021.

For the full Division I state singles bracket, click here.

Three Mason teams, Sycamore compete in Division I doubles

Adriana Moreno and Saanvi Reddy, a senior and junior from Mason, took home the district title by avenging their sectional title loss against fellow Mason teammates Emma Wagner and Pratyusha Chaudhuri. Both Moreno and Reddy have experience in the state tournament, though not as partners. Moreno qualified in 2024, whereas Reddy competed in state in 2023 as a freshman.

Emma Wagner and Praytusha Chaudhuri, another junior-senior combo from Mason, are defending back-to-back state champions in Division II doubles. The duo looks to become just the second team to win three OHSAA state championships in doubles, after Leah Earl and Amy Weiffenbach accomplished the feat from 1976-1978. Wagner and Chaudhuri took the sectional title before falling short in the district tournament against Moreno and Reddy 1-6, 6-0, 4-6.

Allison Sayles and Serena Sayles, senior and sophomore sisters from Sycamore, took third place in the district tournament to qualify for the state tournament for the second straight year. The pair had great individual success this season, being named to the third team all-conference in a loaded Greater Miami Conference for second and first singles, respctively.

Bhavana Singidi and Vanmayl Podili, two sophomores from Mason, will compete in state after finishing fourth in the district tournament. Singidi already has some state tournament experience after qualifying alongside Adriana Moreno last season, while Podili will be making her first appearance in 2025. The sophomore duo were selected as first team All-GMC in first doubles this season.

For the full Division I state singles bracket, click here.

Indian Hill's Sophia Thompson seeking first state title in Division II singles

Sophia Thompson, a senior from Indian Hill, is set to make her fourth state tournament appearance after winning the sectional and district Division II singles tournaments. Thompson finished as state runner-up in 2022 and 2023 before finishing fourth last season after having to withdraw following a narrow 7-6, 4-6, 4-6 loss to the eventual state champion. The Indian Hill senior has breezed by opponents all year, and will be the favorite to win it all this season.

Jara Huerzeler, a junior from New Richmond, is a Swiss transfer student who has reached the state tournament in her first season in Ohio. Huerzeler was named to the first-team all-conference in the Southern Buckeye Academic and Athletic Conference following an unbeaten regular season in first singles. She qualified for state after finishing third in the district and third in the sectional tournament. Huerzeler led New Richmond to a 15-0 record as the team won the SBAAC tournament and its first SBAAC regular-season championship since 2016.

For the full Division II state singles bracket, click here.

First-time competitors take the stage in Division II doubles

Corrine Labin and Miranda Wang, both juniors at CHCA, will make their first state tournament appearances in 2025 after finishing as runners-up in the district tournament. Labin and Wang paired to win the sectional tournament, dropping just one set on their way to the title match. In the district tournament, their title match against the team from Miami Valley School was a nail-biter, as they took the match to three games in a 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 loss.

Lauren Gaughan and Lucy Hanser, a senior and junior from Mariemont, qualified for the state tournament following a sectional tournament win and a third-place finish in the district tournament. Both players had terrific individual seasons this year, both reaching the first team all-conference out of the Cincinnati Hills League. This will be both girls' first trip to the state tournament.

Katherine Connelly and Caroline Connelly, seniors at Cincinnati Country Day and twin sisters, qualified for state with a fourth-place finish in district and a third-place finish in the sectional. The twins led the Nighthawks to tie CHCA for the best record in the Miami Valley Conference, as the pair went 8-0 in conference play and 13-2 overall. The seniors will be appearing in the state tournament for the first time in 2025.

For the full Division II doubles bracket, click here.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati qualifiers for OHSAA girls state tennis tournament