All-Tribune First Team
Player School Yr. Comment
Erica Medlin Mesquite Sr. Tribune POY took third in state; undefeated in dual matches
Lidia Csernak Hamilton So. Runner-up in Div. I singles also won Kiwannis Tournament; undefeated in dual matches
Maggie Cohen Xavier Fr. Finalist in the Kiwanis tournament and quarterfinalist in state tournament in singles
Alex Marlowe/Demi Daniels Mountain View Sr./So. Won Division I doubles championship
Naida Ortega Chandler Jr. No. 1 player past three years went 13-1 and reached 4th round at state; quit USTA tourneys and wasn’t going to play this spring (burnout).
Kendra Mahoney/Kelsey Rose Xavier Fr./Jr. Second-place in Div. I doubles and won Kiwanis tournament doubles title; Mahoney lost one singles match this season
Player of the Year: Erica Medlin (Mesquite)
Coach of the Year: Ann Veeh (Dobson): Another near-unanimous choice by her peers, she’s retiring after more than 30 years worth of contributions to Valley tennis.
All-Tribune Second Team
Player School Yr. Comment
Amanda Moore Highland Sr. Four-year ace and two-year captain went 13-2 in singles; repeatedly a doubles finalist at top tournaments
Kristi Lee Desert Mountain So. No. 8 seed in the Division I singles bracket finished fourth
Rang Ly Apache Junction Jr. Top player in AJ arguably best player in Desert Sky Region with top 8 finish in Div. II
Skylar Sularz/Taylor Brodie Saguaro Sr./Jr. 15-5 record, reached 4th round of Div. II state tournament before falling to eventual champions
Gina Losole/Kelsie Sanborn Notre Dame Sr./So. 3rd-place doubles finish in Div. II for 5-time team champs in 4A-II; also top singles players
Saron Berhe Coronado Sr. No. 1 player took top-10 finish at Div. III despite not playing year-round
Memorable moments from the 2011 season
• Mountain View’s Alex Marlow and Demi Daniels served notice to win the Div. I doubles championship. The duo lost one match this season, that coming in the first week of the season against Xavier, but Marlowe and Daniels beat two Xavier teams on their way to the girls’ first state title. Marlowe graduates, but Daniels is a sophomore who got a little redemption of her own after falling in the singles semifinals last year.
• No one ever said the second time around would be easier, at least not when it comes to state championship repeats. But Chaparral overcame early-season injuries to key players Kelly Cahill and Alex Hoffman. Even though Cahill suffered another injury during the 5A Division II team championship match against rival Desert Mountain, the Firebirds held on for a 5-3 victory to win a second consecutive title. Comeback victories by Ally Breece and senior Alex Wogan at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, sealed the win for Chaparral.
• The fifth was worth the fight for Notre Dame, as the Saints claimed a fifth consecutive 4A-II championship. Gina Losole dealt with injuries all season, including a cyst on her wrist, but kept playing, and won both her singles and doubles matches in the championship as the Saints cruised past Phoenix Washington. Fellow senior Anna Hughes also won her match. She was moved down in the pecking order because of a couple of outstanding freshman players, but never complained, as the Saints figure to remain strong in the coming years.
