There are a couple of sure things come every Spring.
Taxes come due and the South Bend Saint Joseph's and Penn girls' tennis programs will be among the best in the area and into the state tournament series.
Those two facts should ring true again in 2025.
The Huskies will look to reload for coach Bill Mountford after posting a 22-1 mark a season ago that culminated with a state championship. St. Joe, which has been a state finalist each of the past four seasons, won the program's third state title in 2024. The title came after state runner-up finishes to Carmel in both 2023 and 2021.
The Huskies did lose three key pieces from their stellar, experienced squad that downed Fishers 3-2 in the state championship match. Gone are the trio of stars Molly Bellia, Ashi Amalnathan and Dani Graham from the lineup. The threesome helped the Huskies go 77-9-1 the past four seasons.
Bellia, now at the United States Naval Academy, was one of the area's top players ever. The sweet southpaw earned All-American honors in 2024 to go with All-State accolades and her fourth straight Northern Indiana Conference MVP selection. Bellia went 26-3 at No. 1 singles a year ago and was the No. 1 singles state champion as a freshman in 2021. She was the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner following her team's state title win and finished with 103 career wins.
Ashi Amalnathan was 29-0 at No. 2 singles and now plays at South Carolina State. Amalnathan teamed with her younger sister Anni to claim the state title at No. 1 doubles in 2022 with an 18-0 record. Graham went 25-4 at No. 1 doubles a season ago.
The cupboard though is far from bare for the Huskies. Senior Anni Amalnathan returns after posting a 28-1 mark at No. 3 singles. Also back is star sophomore Libby Yergler, who was 25-4 at No. 1 doubles, along with sophomores Ella Michaels and Anna Walsh, who went 12-12 at No. 2 doubles.
Penn will try to duplicate a long postseason run from a year ago while also competing with St. Joe in the NIC. The Kingsmen capped a 13-7 season in 2024 with a 3-2 loss to Carroll in the semi-state.
Penn will count on senior Aileen Hu to lead the way. Hu was 16-6 at No. 1 singles in 2024. Kingsmen freshman Olivia Wu will also be one to watch this season.
NorthWood, Northridge and LaPorte all won sectional titles in 2024.
The Panthers finished a 15-5 campaign with a 3-2 loss to Penn in the regional final. NorthWood lost a strong senior class from last year that included top singles player Britton Jesse and its state finalist No. 1 doubles team of Emery Porter and Kaydence Dumka, who were 26-3.
NorthWood will be led by the senior duo of Tatum Evers and Maggie Steiner. Evers posted a 22-4 mark at No. 2 singles in 2024, and Steiner was on a No. 2 doubles team that went 20-6.
Northridge finished 12-5 a season ago and lost 3-2 to NLC foe NorthWood in a regional semifinal match.
LaPorte won another sectional title, its ninth straight with a 4-1 win over New Prairie in the title match, before a 5-0 loss to St. Joe in the regional final. The Slicers, who were 17-4 a season ago, will be led by Brooklyn James. The senior enters her fourth season at No. 1 singles for coach Don Varda's LaPorte squad.
The pairings show by the IHSAA for the state tournament series is May 19 at a time to be determined. Sectionals are May 20-24, regionals May 27-28, semi-states May 31 and the state finals June 6-7.
Area sectional hosts are Saint Joseph, Penn, LaPorte, NorthWood, ...
