Sydni Ratliff’21 claims the state runner-up title. (Josh Tu’21)

After a dominant victory at districts, the Columbus Academy girls tennis team traveled to Mason, Ohio for the Division II state tournament.

On Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, senior Sydni Ratliff dominated in singles, defeating her first opponent 6-0, 6-0, before claiming a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Oakwood. Ratliff steamrolled her Archbishop Alter opponent 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-finals to advance to her fourth-consecutive state finals match. Later in the day, Ratliff took to the court to face her fiercest competition of the season in hopes of claiming another state championship title. Both players fought hard, but Ratliff was ultimately outlasted by her Eaton rival 6-7, 5-7 to secure state runner-up.  

After Ratliff’s dominant performance in the individual tournament, the Vikings continued their momentum on Sunday, October 25, to face Ottowa Hills and Hathaway Brown for the state title. The Vikes conquered in the semifinals, defeating Ottowa Hills 3-0. Grace Philip’24 kicked off the match at third singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, with the dynamic duo of Arya Chabria’24 and Ratliff following close behind at first doubles and a 6-0, 6-1 win. Lauren Motta’21 and Yasmin Bilgin’24 wrapped up the match with a 6-0, 6-1 record, sending the Vikings to the state finals against Hathaway Brown.

Following the victorious semi-finals round, Ratliff and Carolyn Tsung’21 steamrolled their opponents 6-0, 6-0 in first and second singles, respectively. Chabria fought hard at third singles but fell 3-6, 4-6. In first doubles, Bilgin and Motta attempted to regain their victorious momentum but were overwhelmed 4-6, 4-6. Phillip and Anna Chang’23 attempted to close out the match with a win, but the doubles duo fell to Hathaway Brown with a 4-6, 1-6 finish to claim second place in the state tournament. 

Seniors Motta, Ratliff, Sophia Sommer, and Tsung will be missed next year, but the team’s young talent will propel the Vikes towards another dominant performance in the state tournament next year.