An impressive five Tennis Cats qualified for the 2017 OHSAA Division I State Tournament, quite a feat for a program led by Head Tennis Coach Jon Barker '87.

Unfortunately, the season ended in defeat for the Wildcats on Friday afternoon. 

All five Wildcats who qualified fell in the opening round of the State Tournament, held at Lindner Family Tennis Center. 

Josh Hsia represented the Wildcats as a singles player. The senior completed his highly successful Saint Ignatius tennis career with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Niraj Komatineni, a skilled sophomore playing on his home turf in Mason. 

Hsia, set to play for the Case Western Reserve University Spartans in the fall, has quite a bright tennis and professional career ahead of him. 

Senior Kevin Callanan and sophomore Jack McNally, a newly minted duo in 2017, saw their journey end against St. Xavier's doubles squad of Max DeCurtins and Peter Schulteis, 6-2, 6-0. The duo of Callanan and McNally showcased skills, class, and humility all season long for the Wildcats. 

On the other half of the bracket, the junior duo of Richie Hofstra and Brian Zhu ended the 2017 campaign against Cincinnati Sycamore's tandem of Noah Stern and Nathan Zhang, 6-3, 6-0. Hofstra and Zhu have a bright future for a Wildcats squad with plenty of talent ready for next year. 

Congratulations to the Tennis Cats on a truly special year, and for making Wildcats fans proud all season long.