MASON – The Olentangy Berlin girls tennis team’s Instagram feed featured each of its eight seniors in a “senior spotlight” series in mid-September.
All answered a handful of questions, including “What is your favorite tennis memory?”
Defending Division I state singles champion Soleil Cordell said hers was “playing Hard Court Nationals last year,”
but that has changed after she finished her high school career with a 56-match winning streak and title repeat.
Cordell swept Cincinnati Oak Hills junior Renee Harper 6-2, 6-0 on Oct. 16 at Lindner Family Tennis Center, polishing off a run that saw her go undefeated over the past two seasons and drop only one set in the process.
“This definitely passes that,” Cordell said. “There are so many thoughts, so many expectations.
I am proud of myself for pushing that stuff to the side. I am well prepared and a good player. I just wanted to come out the past two days and play my best tennis.”
Cordell (29-0) swept Cincinnati Turpin sophomore Makayla Malone 6-0, 6-2 in a semifinal to set up a championship match with Harper (32-2), the Southwest District runner-up to Malone and an occasional doubles partner of Cordell in non-scholastic tournaments.
Harper won consecutive games after Cordell got out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, but that would be all she took as Cordell rarely was threatened in the second, using a strong forehand among other shots to maintain control.
“The first set was fine, but I wanted to dig deep and play another good set,” Cordell said. “One good set of tennis does not guarantee a win at all.”
All matches Oct. 16 were moved to Lindner’s six-court indoor facility because of rain.
Berlin coach Richard Hunt said Cordell’s matches were more contested than they often appeared. Cordell’s closest match at state ultimately came in the first round Oct. 15, a 6-1, 6-3 win over Centerville freshman Mia Trubee.
“Players out here will make you hit two, three or four shots that would normally be a winner and make you play more points,” Hunt said. “Nobody will let go of a point until they know it’s clearly done.”
For the second year in a row, Cordell was the only central Ohio player to reach the semifinals. Before last year, that had not happened since 2016.
Harper originally was going to play doubles in the postseason until her expected partner sustained a wrist injury.
“When I stayed in the point, when I was able to grind, I played well,” Harper said. “Unfortunately my forehand did not allow for that all the time, but just being able to stay in the point, I could get her off her rhythm.”
Cordell is the fourth member of her family, spanning three generations, to reach state but the first to win a championship. She will play collegiately at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Great-uncles Gary and Craig reached state in 1963 and 1975, respectively, and father Cary did so in 1991 and 1992 before playing for Otterbein. All attended Yellow Springs in Greene County.
“What she did is staggering,” Hunt said. “I was getting emotional at the end because I realized it’s been two awesome years and this is it. Her career at Berlin is over, but her career in tennis is not.”
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell repeats as OHSAA tennis champion
