Aves Tennis exceeded expectations this year. The team finished the year ranked within the top five in the state despite not even being projected to finish in the top 10. And one part of their phenomenal season was the Sayles sisters. Allison Sayles, 11, has played for the Varsity Gold team every year of her high school career. She is known for her positive attitude and determination, two reasons why Coach Teets picked her to be a captain this year.

Despite having played singles for Sycamore since junior high, when Coach Teets told her she would be playing at the crucial third singles spot, Allison stepped up to the challenge, finishing undefeated in singles with an especially hard-fought win over Mason in a third set tiebreaker. But despite all her success at singles, she decided to play doubles with her sister, Serena Sayles, 9, for the state tournament.

The team’s chemistry was a part this year’s success, but arguably the biggest factor was Serena herself. The freshman came into high school tennis after playing first singles in junior high, but she was largely overlooked by insiders coming into the season due to a lack of matches. But after an impressive tryout, Serena earned her place, coming in second in singles. Her gritty playing style is similar to her sister’s, and she ground out three third-set wins this year. In her first season, she posted a singles record of 17-3 during the regular season before taking up doubles for the state tournament.

In the sectional tournament, Serena and Allison took home two wins (6-0,6-0), giving them an automatic bid into the state tournament, before falling to the eventual state champions from Mason in the third round. The sisters would come crashing down against the Upper Arlington paring of Hawly and Roth (2-6,3-6), but not before putting up a good fight against Ohio’s best.

After a successful season, the future looks bright for a team that will return next year with nearly all of its starting lineup. And the Sayles Sisters will help lead the way.