Following a strong senior season, Owensboro Catholic tennis player Olivia Hayden was named to the Kentucky High School Tennis Coaches All State Team.
“Being named to the All-State team is a big blessing to me,” Hayden said. “Tennis has been a big part of my life and I have worked really hard for it. So ending my senior year winning this award is bittersweet to me.”
Hayden had her season come to a close in the Round of 8 in the State tournament, while grabbing a regional doubles championship alongside her partner Aisha Merchant.
“Being named All-State was a big goal of mine this year,” Hayden said. “After making it to the Sweet 16 last year at state, it motivated me to work even harder this year so I could earn the All-State award and make it to the quarterfinals.”
Hayden finished her senior season owning a 30-2 overall record, while helping Lady Aces to a fifth place finish this year at state. Grabbing a regional title and earning All-State honors were in the forefront of her mind coming into the season, so she’s excited to have seen all the hard work pay off.
“My goals coming into this season was to win the region, make it to the quarterfinals at state,and be named to the All-State team,” Hayden said. “Coming into this season I had the mindset to stay focused at practice and work hard to accomplish my goals.”
Hayden said that if it weren’t for her support system, as well as her partner Aisha Merchant, she couldn’t have had the successful senior season send-off that she was able to have.
“My coaches and parents were a big part in making this season so successful,” Hayden said. “They pushed me to work hard during the season and even in the off season. My partner, Aisha, also played a big part in making this such a successful season. We pushed each other the whole year to make each other better and it really worked out in the end. I couldn’t have done it without her. My team also was very close this year which made it easy to look forward to every match and practice.”
