OLATHE NORTHWEST WINS THIRD STRAIGHT STATE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP — BY JUST ONE POINT

Olathe Northwest girls tennis has won another state championship, and this one came down to almost the smallest margin possible.

The Ravens captured their third consecutive Class 6A state title Saturday at Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita, finishing with 37 team points to edge Blue Valley North, which finished with 36. The one-point margin made this year’s championship far tighter than the previous two and capped another strong postseason for coach Drew Smith’s program.

Olathe Northwest won its first state girls tennis team championship in 2024 and followed it with another title in 2025. This year’s victory gives the Ravens three straight championships and continues a run that has quickly become one of the strongest in the state.

The title race was close from the start. After Friday’s opening rounds, Northwest had sophomore Seraphene Besong still alive in singles and the doubles team of Emery Rand and Amelia Spencer into the semifinals. Blue Valley North also had enough players still competing to keep the team standings tight heading into the final day.

Besong again played an important role for Northwest. She opened the tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Blue Valley’s Eva Spexarth before defeating teammate Ada Smith 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. That moved Besong into the semifinals against Blue Valley North’s Penelope Reed, who had beaten her at regionals a week earlier.

Rand and Spencer also added key points in doubles. The pair, seeded second, won its opening match 6-1, 6-4 and then advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal victory. In a tournament decided by a single team point, every advancement mattered.

Northwest entered state with plenty of momentum. The Ravens had already won their fourth consecutive Class 6A regional championship, and all six players qualified for the state tournament. That depth became especially important once the team race tightened in Wichita.

The latest championship adds another chapter to a remarkable three-year stretch for the program. Northwest entered the 2024 season without a state girls tennis team title. Since then, the Ravens have won three in a row.

The first championship broke through. The second showed the program could repeat. The third came with Blue Valley North right behind them and only one point separating the two teams when the tournament ended.

Olathe Northwest left Wichita with another trophy, another state championship and a three-peat that was anything but easy.