Girls HS tennis tournament: Desert Mountain again top D-I contender
The AIA girls high school tennis team championship tournament begins Wednesday in all three divisions and concludes May 6. The individual and doubles championships begin Friday and conclude May 1. Here is a breakdown of the divisions in the 16-team tournament:
Division I
Favorites
The clear favorite in Division I is No. 1 Desert Mountain. The Wolves, a perennial D-I power, hasn't lost a match since the 2019 season and are on a 53-game winning streak (yes, you read that right). The Wolves have won two Division I championships in that span, and there's no reason to believe they can't capture a third straight title. They've only conceded five sets in the regular season and 11 out of their 14 wins were sweeps.
One team that could be capable of stopping the Desert Mountain dynasty is No. 2 Xavier Prep. The Gators gave Desert Mountain their toughest match of the season when they took three sets from the Wolves in the regular season. Xavier won the 2019 Division I championship and was runner-up in 2022.
No. 3 Desert Vista is the other team that could stop Desert Mountain. The Thunder are 12-2 with losses to both Desert Mountain and Xavier in the regular season. While they did get swept by Desert Mountain, they only lost by one set (4-5) to Xavier Prep. If they win their first-round matchup against No. 14 Liberty followed by a second-round victory over the winner of No. 6 Corona del Sol vs. No. 11 Perry, they could face Xavier again.
Others to watch
Not really an underdog, but No. 4 Hamilton could give Desert Mountain their toughest match of the season if they face them in the semifinals. Hamilton is last team to defeat the Wolves and the Huskies were runners-up in both 2019 and 2021. On a six-game winning streak, Hamilton shouldn't be counted out. Their first-round matchup is against No. 13 Millenium.
No. 10 Gila Ridge will look to shock the Division I world this season. The Hawks finished the regular season with a 13-1 record, which was good enough to tie Xavier Prep for the second most wins in Division I. After losing in the first round of the Division I playoffs in 2021 and missing state entirely in 2022, Gila Ridge is ready to show they belong. They have a first-round matchup against No. 7 Horizon.
See the full Division I bracket here.
Division II
Favorites
The two teams poised to make a run at the Division II championship are No. 1 Catalina Foothills and No. 2 AZ College Prep. Catalina Foothills has had a stranglehold on the division, winning the last four Division II titles. The Falcons have certainly looked the part, going 11-0 with eight sweeps. It's hard to make a case against them not winning another D-II team title. But AZ College Prep could provide a challenge. The Knights moved up to D-II after making it to the Division III semifinals last year, and the move has been a seamless transition for the program, going 13-0 in the regular season. The two teams never have met.
Others to watch
Several other schools could make a good run at the Division II championship, including No. 5 Canyon View and No. 6 Sahuarita, both undefeated. Both made the playoffs last season and. Canyon View plays No. 12 Notre Dame Prep in the first-round while Sahuarita meets No. 11 Canyon Del Oro in their first-round matchup.
No. 3 Salpointe Catholic and No. 4 Arcadia round out the top six. Salpointe Catholic played Catalina Foothills the closest this season, taking three sets from the Falcons. The Lancers have a first-round matchup with No. 14 Nogales, and if they get past them and their second-round matchup, they could face AZ College Prep. Arcadia finished as the runners-up last year and could have a rematch with Catalina Foothills in the semifinals.
If you're looking for an upset candidate, take a look at No. 13 Verrado. The Vipers finished the regular season with a 13-1 record with their only loss coming to No. 5 Canyon View. Verrado does have a tough first-round matchup against No. 4 Arcadia.
See the full Division II bracket here.
Division III
Favorites
There are two undefeated teams in Division III, No. 1 Chandler Prep and No. 2 Basis Flagstaff. Chandler Prep made a run to the semifinals last year as a No. 8 seed and has built off of that, going 13-0 and sweeping every single school on their schedule outside of one. After being upset by No. 11 Gilbert Christian in the first-round last year, Basis Flagstaff is back and better, going 10-0 in the regular season. The Yetis have a first-round matchup with No. 15 Northland Prep, which Basis Flagstaff defeated in their last regular season game.
Three schools come into the tournament with only one loss. No. 3 Pusch Ridge, No. 4 Scottsdale Prep and No. 5 Phoenix Country Day all are capable of making a run to the finals. Pusch Ridge has the most wins in all of Division II with 14 but does have one loss, which came to Division II school Salpointe Catholic. The Lions want to have a better tournament showing than last season, which saw them crashing out of the second round as the No. 1 seed against No. 8 Chandler Prep. Scottsdale Prep (2021) and Phoenix Country Day (2022) are the last two champions in D-III. Scottsdale Prep's loss came to Chandler Prep while they also handed Phoenix Country Day their only loss of the season.
Others to watch
If you're looking for an upset team in Division III, No. 10 Glendale Prep could be the one. The Griffins finished the regular season with a 12-1 record with their only loss coming to Phoenix Country Day. They'll have a first-round matchup with No. 7 Anthem Prep, and if they manage to beat the Eagles, they'll more than likely have No. 2 Flagstaff waiting for them in the in second round. If that matchup happens, it could be competitive showdown.
See the full Division III bracket here.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Girls' AIA tennis tournament roundup: Desert Mountain, Catalina Foothills, Chandler Prep among favorites
