After winning their fourth consecutive Section 4A championship last year, the varsity boys tennis team feels pressure. The team is working to uphold their winning streak as they enter the postseason.
The tennis team is statebound as a team, with two individuals and two doubles to play in the tournament. The team has a history of strong performance at the state level, with nine previous Minnesota State High School League State Team Championship titles under their belt, dating back to 1993. The boys tennis team is also the most recent team to have won four consecutive Class A State Champions titles since 1963.

With a strong history, the tennis team began their preparation for state and the postseason by reflecting on regular-season successes and challenges.
Junior Gavin Leuthold has been a part of the culture that the team has worked hard to create. He feels the pressure of trying to maintain their title, but also wants to go into the postseason with a strategic mindset, focusing on one thing at a time.

“Sections are the first focus for us … then state,” Leuthold said. “We just want to focus on staying confident, collected and playing within ourselves.”
Senior Elliot Sjaastad has been on varsity for the last two years. He wants to embrace the high demand that the team is familiar with. He hopes that this determination will drive the team to success in sections and state competition.

“We want to use that pressure as a motivation to play harder,” Sjaastad said.
After losing some seniors who were prominent varsity players in the last few years, the team has had to adjust. In addition to having an injured captain. Sjaastad is proud of how the team has rebounded from challenges.

“Our lineup isn’t as strong as it was from last year, and some other teams have improved, but we are working hard and playing well, so we are feeling good heading into the postseason,” he said.
Leuthold and Sjaastad aim to dial their focus on creating the best balance of competitiveness with perseverance as they head with their team to their postseason matches.

Junior Isaak Senaratna, competing in the state tournament with doubles partner senior Allan Wang, feels the excitement and demand it takes to be at the state tournament another year in a row.
“I think given our track record, our goal is obviously to win, but this year we can’t take anything for granted and have to battle across all seven courts,” he said.

As the team moves into the state tournament, the champion title is in reach, but not guaranteed.
“Second place in state is still an amazing accomplishment, but as a team we believe we can go farther than that this year,” Senaratna said.

The team is bound to revisit the state competition as a team and hopes to rely on their preparation for when they compete to maintain the championship title.