The Guerin Catholic girls tennis team last won a Circle City Conference championship three years ago, when the Golden Eagles’ senior players were freshmen.
Those seniors wanted the conference title back, and they got it back on Monday. Guerin Catholic clinched an undefeated conference title that afternoon by beating Bishop Chatard. The Golden Eagles finished conference play with a 5-0 dual meet record.
“I’m really excited. I think it’s great that we were able to come together and really just work hard to win the championship,” said Ellen Gardner, Guerin’s No. 1 singles player.
“They’ve played really, really well during the conference competitions,” said GC coach Becky Ragsdale. “They’ve stepped in and played and cheered for everyone. They’ve done great.”
The Golden Eagles had to play several tough teams in order to win the title. That includes teams that are currently ranked in this week’s Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll, such as No. 25 Brebeuf Jesuit and No. 29 Heritage Christian. But those wins have gotten Guerin Catholic noticed: The Golden Eagles are in this week’s poll at No. 23.
Guerin Catholic has played other ranked teams as well, such as No. 13 Cathedral, No. 14 Plainfield and No. 30 Zionsville. Still, the Golden Eagles compiled a 10-4 record for the season after their Monday victory.
“I think they’ve played up to the level of their competition,” said Ragsdale. “Every match, they’ve improved. We haven’t had a lot of days of practice to work on things we really need to practice on, but I think for the most part, our girls have played very, very well, so I’m proud of them.”
In addition to its on-court success, Guerin Catholic has been making a difference outside of tennis as well. The Golden Eagles have done service projects during the year, including its Serve to Serve Tournament, which wound up donating 350 cans of food to the Hamilton County Food Shelter.
Guerin Catholic will finish up its regular season this week by playing two more ranked teams, No. 19 Noblesville today and No. 27 Brownsburg on Thursday.