Girls Tennis Takes State Title
The Knights girls tennis team won the Class 2 State Championship on Nov. 1, besting Ladue Horton Watkins in a down-to-the-wire final, 5-4. The team reached the title match after defeating powerhouse MICDS (St. Louis) 5-4.
After an excruciatingly close semifinal in which the match came down to a come-from-behind 11-9 tiebreaker by junior Sonya Shkuta, the team took on Ladue, who won the state title in 2022 and 2023 and looked to be the favorite again this year.
But the Knights didn't care about numbers or records, just tennis. At #2 doubles, for the fifth match in a row, freshman Rose Biria and sophomore Emilia Prier faced a tough pair that medaled the previous week in the individual state tournament. Barstow triumphed with an 8-2 win. Senior Atra Biria and freshman Anya Stanojevic followed up with an 8-6 win.
The girls needed three more points for the state title. Rose made quick work of her opponent, 6-0, 6-0. Atra at #1 singles played the 2024 state singles champ and battled for a first set 6-2 win. In the second, the Ladue girl stayed close early at 3-3, both exchanging impressive baseline games, but Atra broke serve then held for a 5-4 lead. On the next court, #3 singles Sonya Shkuta won the first set 6-0, but struggled and fell behind early in the second. Sonya played patient tennis with occasional hard-hit winners, took a two-game lead late and finished off her opponent 6-3, at virtually the same moment that Atra did the sam, simultaneously securing the 2024 state championship.
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But the Knights didn't care about numbers or records, just tennis. At #2 doubles, for the fifth match in a row, freshman Rose Biria and sophomore Emilia Prier faced a tough pair that medaled the previous week in the individual state tournament. Barstow triumphed with an 8-2 win. Senior Atra Biria and freshman Anya Stanojevic followed up with an 8-6 win.
The girls needed three more points for the state title. Rose made quick work of her opponent, 6-0, 6-0. Atra at #1 singles played the 2024 state singles champ and battled for a first set 6-2 win. In the second, the Ladue girl stayed close early at 3-3, both exchanging impressive baseline games, but Atra broke serve then held for a 5-4 lead. On the next court, #3 singles Sonya Shkuta won the first set 6-0, but struggled and fell behind early in the second. Sonya played patient tennis with occasional hard-hit winners, took a two-game lead late and finished off her opponent 6-3, at virtually the same moment that Atra did the sam, simultaneously securing the 2024 state championship.
