Whether or not a regional opener or a state event last, the Covington Catholic Colonels have championships on the thoughts. Within the Kentucky Excessive Faculty Athletic Affiliation, these Colonels did a very good likelihood at turning these ideas to trophies within the circumstances and medals round their necks.
Covington Catholic had two singles and two doubles groups attain the 2024 KHSAA state event. All 4 made it so far as the quarterfinals with two reaching the finals, together with the doubles pair of Kalei Christensen and Alex Yeager who repeated as state champions.
Within the singles bracket, the Hussey brothers continued the household enterprise of dominating tennis tournaments with senior Brady Hussey capping off his profitable profession with a state runner-up end.
Kalei Christensen and Alex Yeager win second-straight doubles title
A 3-peat could also be on the horizon for Kaley Christensen and Alex Yeager in 2025. The Covington Catholic juniors gained the 2023 doubles title as sophomores and repeated this season for his or her second title.
The defending champions cruised by way of the state bracket with out a lot resistance. The pair gained their spherical of 64 and spherical of 32 matches in 6-0, 6-0 sweeps earlier than dropping their first sport within the spherical of 16, nonetheless beating the Henry Clay pair 6-1, 6-0. Again within the state quarterfinals, it was one other 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Central Hardin sophomores Gabriel Brangers and Josiah Castenir.
Christensen and Yeager confronted their greatest problem within the semifinals in opposition to Lafayette’s Zachary Thompson and Charlie Mooney. The Lafayette pair took 4 video games from the champs, however nonetheless fell 6-2, 6-2. The Colonels obtained again to enterprise in opposition to Louisville St. Xavier’s Aditya Shah and Walker Bush within the finals, successful the championship 6-0, 6-1.
Between the Area 9 event and the state event, Christensen and Yeager dropped simply 9 video games throughout 10 matches. Two of these dropped video games got here to Covington Catholic freshmen William Tribble and Jacob Kramer within the regional finals.
Tribble and Kramer superior by way of the primary three rounds of the state event, successful 6-1, 6-0 to open earlier than a 6-2, 6-2 win within the spherical of 32 and a 6-4, 6-2 win within the spherical of 16.
The event ended within the quarterfinals for the freshmen, dropping to Corbin’s Nathaniel Hill and Quinn Maguet 6-3, 6-3.
Brady Hussey finishes profession with runner-up end
A 1,000-point scorer on the basketball staff and a four-time ninth Area champion in tennis, Brady Hussey carved himself a historic profession at Covington Catholic. It resulted in his fourth journey to the KHSAA state event and a state runner-up end.
Hussey, who gained the ninth Area finals over his freshman brother Blake, was a semifinalist at state in 2023 and 2022 after dropping within the spherical of 16 as a freshman in 2021.
Hussey once more reached that semifinal match, assembly the highest seeded participant in Louisville St. Xavier’s Williams Lewis. The pair battled, however Hussey got here away on high in a two-set victory, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
Hussey superior, fittingly making his last highschool match within the state championship. Hussey met Louisville Collegiate junior Colby Berson within the finals the place it was Berson that secured the gold, successful 6-2, 6-4.
Ryle’s Avery Love and Niveditha Selvaraju bow out in spherical of 16
Northern Kentucky’s run at a state championship on the women doubles facet stalled out within the spherical of 16. The Ryle pair of Avery Love and Niveditha Selvaraju fell to Corbin’s Lindsay Jones and Katherine Morton, failing to succeed in the event’s quarterfinals.
Love and Selvaraju reached the KHSAA state meet after successful the ninth Area championship on Could 16. The Raider pair defeated Notre Dame’s Clare Shay and Sam Spellman within the ninth Area last in three units, 5-7, 6-3, 10-6.
Love and Selvaraju beat a staff from Owensboro Catholic within the opening spherical 6-2, 6-3 whereas Shay and Spellman gained 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 in opposition to North Oldham. That arrange a rematch within the spherical of 32. There was no further set wanted because the Raiders took the 6-4, 6-2 victory to advance.
Notre Dame’s Lucy Bailey and Isabella Mcelwee have been additionally within the spherical of 32, falling 6-0, 6-0 to the eventual state finalists from Sacred Coronary heart Academy.
Cassidy Derry and Emma Zimmer from Dixie Heights have been additionally state qualifiers, however fell within the opening spherical to the opposite Sacred Coronary heart staff that additionally reached the state finals.
Cooper’s Johnson, Beechwood’s Jones advance to spherical of 16 in ladies singles bracket
Cooper sophomore Kayla Johnson and Beechwood junior Sadie Jones have been the ultimate Northern Kentucky ladies singles gamers standing, earlier than each fell within the spherical of 16.
Johnson opened her event run with a 6-0, 6-0 victory within the first spherical over Lawrence County’s Riley Sammons and a 6-1, 6-1 win in opposition to Daviess County’s Allessa Corridor within the second spherical. These wins despatched Johnson on to face Sacred Coronary heart’s Ellie Hammond within the spherical of 16 the place Hammond gained 6-1, 6-2 on the way in which to successful the 2024 state championship.
Jones additionally opened with a 6-0, 6-0 victory within the opening spherical earlier than taking a 6-2, 6-2 win over sophomore Caroline Yates from Ashland Blazer. Jones then fell to Henry Clay’s Anna Du 6-0, 6-1 to finish the postseason run.
Johnson and Jones have been the ninth Area finalists on Could 16 when Johnson obtained the higher of Jones 6-3, 3-6, 10-2 within the championship spherical.
This text initially appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington Catholic’s Christensen, Yeager repeat as KHSAA tennis champs
