Can Desert Mountain's girls tennis team make it four straight state championships?
Scottsdale Desert Mountain High School's girls tennis team is one of those dynasties that has quietly flown under the radar each spring, often overshadowed by higher profile sports like baseball and softball.
But for a program looking to win its fourth straight team state championship this year, it might be time to take note.
Despite losing key seniors to graduation from last year's Division I AIA championship team, the Wolves have started strong. As of Thursday, they were 7-0 on the season, which includes a win over another top state power, Phoenix Xavier Prep (7-1) on Tuesday and another over Millennium on Thursday.
Head coach Kim Dever likes the way this year's team has come together.
"We're looking very strong," Dever said on Monday when the Wolves met Horizon and prior to facing the Gators. "All the girls are playing hard and finishing strong. It's always interesting facing off against Xavier, but I'm confident with my girls and I know they're going to give 110% no matter what the result is."
The Wolves defeated Xavier Prep by winning 7 of 9 matches, handing the Gators their first loss.
Desert Mountain come into this season as three-peat champions, defeating Desert Vista in the 2022-23 team final. A key member of that team who graduated was Julia Frazier, who won the state D-I doubles title with then-teammate Tessa Wachtel. Julia was undefeated in singles and doubles matches and was named to The Republic's 2022-23 All-Arizona girls high school tennis team.
This year, her younger sister sophomore Alexandra Frazier is ready to follow in her sister's footsteps.
"Last year I was playing with my sister and it felt important to win with her," said Alexandra. "This season will be a bit different, it's just me and that has a meaning for me. I want to leave a legacy behind and win with my teammates. We definitely have a target behind our backs, every school plays their best against us and we know that they want to have that feeling of how it feels to beat us."
The Wolves have won five state titles since 2017. Dever was hired in 2020 and was on her way to lead the team to a title that year, however, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled spring high school sports in Arizona. Her team came back to start its string of three straight through last year.
Senior Chae Rin Youn was a member of all three of those championship teams. She's embracing a leadership role with the team this season.
"I'm very excited with how the season has been going so far," said Youn. "There's definitely pressure on how this season is just because everyone has expectation, especially since we won the past three seasons. Our teamwork and supporting as a team builds our confidence to keep moving forward. I'm definitely approaching this season differently. I'm the highest in the ranking, which makes me more focus towards what I bring for this team."
Dever and her squad are yet to lose a game, and will look to keep the results the same for this season.
"Even achieving the three-peat, we're still going to strive to win it this year," said Dever. "When they see the banners on the fence, they know what's expected of them. They need to know that everyone is gunning for us for being number one. We're competitors and we're prepared for what's coming."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Desert Mountain girls tennis dominates its competition
