Holy Family wins girls' tennis title in first state tournament

Last Saturday, three days before his team was to play in its first girls' tennis state tournament, Holy Family coach Jack Roach sat down and created a poster.

"It said, 'Why not us?' " senior co-captain Gabby Carter said. "And that's what we've focused on ever since. Why not us?"

As it turns out, no one had an answer. The Fire outlasted defending champion Breck 4-3 in the semifinals on the strength of a 3 ½ hour, three-set victory by junior Grace Sperr, then torched Virginia 6-1 to win the Class 1A state championship .

The championship was the culmination of a plan set forth by Roach, a former University of Minnesota women's head tennis coach, when he took over the Holy Family program three years ago.

Considering how far they came in such a short time that even the players weren't sure what they could accomplish, the poster was a stroke of genius.

"We all really came together this year," Carter said. "We worked harder, we hit on off days. But I never really thought we could beat Breck until Jack brought it up. 'Why not us?' kind of became our motto."

Said Roach: "Even here, they had to believe they could win."

Using patience she never knew she had, Sperr waited out Zumwinkle's slow-down tactics and took control in the third and deciding set.

"I like to play faster, so that was a little frustrating," she said. "I played my game in the third set, and I'm glad I won that way. "

Sperr's match in the final against Virginia went much smoother, with her winning 6-1, 6-0. With a championship to celebrate, Sperr gave the Fire's motto an appropriate revision.