In the highly competitive Class 5A girls tennis ranks, it’s not easy vying for the state title. But the Bountiful Redhawks performed admirably at the tournament, Oct. 5, 7 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. 

Out of 28 Class 5A teams, the Redhawks tied for eighth. They were also second among Region 5 teams, only behind Woods Cross, which was second overall. Bountiful scored 12 total points, the same as Maple Mountain. The Redhawks were just a point behind seventh-place Wasatch and seven points behind sixth-place Brighton. 

The Redhawks made a big improvement over last year, when the team placed 20th at state. 

Bountiful got a nice boost from its second doubles team of senior Christina Eyring and sophomore Malea Wilson. After getting a bye in the round of 32, the pair won two matches at the state tournament, first defeating a team from Spanish Fork 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 16. In the next round, Eyring and Wilson faced a challenge from Wasatch but prevailed 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Reaching the semifinals, Eyring and Wilson met stiff competition from Woods Cross’ Lila Johnson and Sydney Kemp, whom they had faced during the regular season. Bountiful’s tandem lost 6-0, 6-0. 

The other doubles team for the Redhawks, first doubles players Rebekah Palmer and Alyssa Boucha, got a bye in the round of 32 but then fell to a pair of freshmen from Springville 6-2, 3-6, 4-6. 

At first singles, senior Summer Willis made quick work of her opponent from Clearfield, Jenna Bodero, 6-1, 6-1. But Willis’ season ended with a loss in the round of 16 to Woods Cross’ Emmy Richards, 6-0, 6-0. Bountiful’s Hailey Johnson, a junior, was the team’s entry at second singles. She won a match against Clearfield’s Paige Gardner in the round of 32 by the score of 6-4, 6-2. But the round of 16 wasn’t as kind to Johnson, who then lost to a Wasatch competitor 6-2, 6-4. 

The Redhawks got some points from Madi Kuehne at third singles. The junior prevailed over a Kearns High opponent in the round of 32 by the count of 6-2, 6-3. Next, she outlasted Brighton’s Grace Jaggi 6-4, 7-5 in the round of 16, setting her up for a big quarterfinals matchup with Timpview’s Kendall Woods. Kuehne couldn’t overcome Woods and fell 6-1, 6-2. 

Good things could be in store for the Redhawks next season. Of Bountiful’s seven competitors at state this season, four return in 2024.