Columbus North’s Aya Saad is The Republic Girls Tennis Player of the Year. She is pictured on the tennis courts at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Monday, June 25, 2025.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Aya Saad found herself as the top player for the Columbus North girls tennis team this year.
While it wasn’t surprising Saad took over the No. 1 singles spot, she made the most of the opportunity against other top players in the state. She finished 19-6 and is The Republic Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
Saad said her mentality was a “roller coaster” of emotions this season.
“It wasn’t steady at all. I think at the beginning of the season, I had a lot of drive and power, and I did have drive throughout the season and knew what I wanted to do,” Saad said. “I knew what I wanted to do and had the drive to complete it. My drive was there the whole season, but without passion, you can’t get anything done.”
Saad began playing tennis when she was 6 years old and began playing competitively at age 10. She grew up in a tennis family. Her parents Philipe and Dora were tennis players, with Philipe still actively playing. Her brother Adam played at North and was part of the 2019 boys tennis team that reached the state semifinals.
Aya got to see the success of her brother, and he helped pave the way for her be as successful at North.
“Tennis is always been around my family. It’s always on the TV. It’s really the only sport we watch besides soccer. We talk about it at the dinner table. It’s always evident in our house,” Aya said. “My family helped me a ton, including my brother and was actually one of the only reasons I continued to play tennis all these years. I saw him play in high school, and that motivated me. He definitely played a huge role, and so does my family, as well. I wanted to make them proud and the people around me proud.”
Sisters Ashlie and Kathryn Wilson, both of whom now play at Purdue, held the No. 1 singles spot for the Bull Dogs from the 2019-24 seasons. Saad knew it was big shoes to fill when she was slotted into the No. 1 singles spot this year.
“I knew I had really big shoes to fill obviously with Ashlie and Kathryn because they were so talented,” Saad said. “I did feel pressure being in the 1 spot and being the best on the team because there is undeniable pressure. Everyone knew I was different from the Wilson sisters. I wasn’t compared to them, but I knew I wanted to fill their shoes as much as I could.”
Saad had a combined four-year record of 83-15 in her career as a Bull Dog. She went 19-3 at No. 3 singles and 1-1 at No. 2 singles as a freshman. The next year, she posted a 24-3 record at No. 2 singles. She went 20-2 mostly at No. 2 singles as a junior and went 19-6 as a senior at No. 1 singles.
This year, Saad was named second-team All-State Singles by the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association and was selected first-team All-Conference Indiana.
“Even though this year didn’t turn out quite as well as she wanted to overall, what she did for the teams the last few years, it was one of those situations where we were going into matches pretty much up 2-0. We just need a third spot,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “It is a big jump coming from 2 singles to 1 singles and all of a sudden, you’re playing the best player on every team we play no matter what. She had put a lot of expectations on herself. She had her shining moments, and she had her struggling moments, no doubt about it.”
Saad said she is done with her tennis career and will focus on the next chapter of her life. She’ll attend Indiana University in the fall to study neuroscience with plans on applying to medical school following her degree.
Even though this season didn’t end the way Saad wanted, she was pleased with her four-year career as a Bull Dog.
“I’m so grateful to my whole team and to the coaches I have met. People that stuck by me throughout all my ups and downs of tennis, it shows how much they really love me, and I really love them, too, because they cared about me, and they know what’s best for me,’ she said. “I feel really supported, and I’ll definitely miss that. I’m sure down the road in the future, I’ll miss it, for sure. I’ll miss my team. I’ll miss how I played and with the people I played with.”
The 2025 Republic All-Area Girls Tennis team:
Aya Saad, Columbus North: The senior went 19-6 at No. 1 singles.
Annabelle Sun, Columbus North: The senior went 17-7, mostly at No. 1 doubles, and was a state doubles semifinalist.
Nino Akhalaya, Columbus North: The junior went 18-6, mostly at No. 1 doubles, and was a state doubles semifinalist.
Lucy Bergman, Columbus North: The junior went 16-11, mostly at No. 2 singles.
Ayane Umemura, Columbus North: The senior went 7-13, mostly at No. 3 singles.
Grace Conner, Columbus North: The senior went 16-9, mostly at No. 2 doubles.
Lizzie Bodart, Columbus North: The senior went 16-9, mostly at No. 2 doubles.
Kaydence Lowman, Jennings County: The junior went 17-4 at No. 1 singles.
Mia Silvey, Jennings County: The senior went 15-6, mostly at No. 2 singles.
Grace McBride, Jennings County: The senior went 18-3, mostly at No. 3 singles.
Katie Malone, Trinity Lutheran: The sophomore went 10-7, mostly at No. 1 singles.
Presley Meyer, Trinity Lutheran: The sophomore went 11-5, mostly at No. 2 singles.
Honorable mention
Brown County: Allison Blee. Columbus East: Lauren Degner. Columbus North: Molly Richards. Edinburgh: Gracie Lawson. Hauser: Abby Manley, Kaycee Ridgley. Jennings County: Karmindy Lowman, Sophia Lucas, Maddie McIntosh, Gabi Morin. Trinity Lutheran: Carson Bowling, Liza Vaughn.
