Rowland Hall swept all five draws to win the 3A girls tennis state championship Saturday, Oct. 3, at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.
The tournament's first round was played Thursday, Oct. 1, at Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights before action moved to Liberty Park for the final two days. No other school came close.
Rowland Hall finished with 75 team points. Grantsville, the 2024 champion, placed second with 39. American Heritage (35), Morgan (27) and Ogden (12) rounded out the top five, as first reported by the Deseret News.
The title was the program's 14th, extending a dynasty that included the 2025 championship.
Sophomore Scarlett Corey won her second consecutive first singles crown. Eleanor Phyfe took second singles, Avalon O'Connell won third singles, Rainey Gross and Savanna O'Connell claimed No. 1 doubles, and Ada Tyser and Fiona Kean captured No. 2 doubles. Corey, Phyfe and O'Connell each defeated Grantsville opponents in their singles finals. Gross and Savanna O'Connell topped American Heritage's Annie Pearson and Brekyn Larkin 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 1 doubles final.
Gross, a transfer from Fruitland, Idaho, added an immediate spark after moving to Salt Lake City. Her father, Jordan Gross, joined the University of Utah football staff as offensive line coach in January. Jordan Gross is a Utah alumnus who played 11 NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Rowland Hall coach Rich Francey said he remembered the exact moment his 2026 roster took shape. "I got called in (to the school) to meet a girl who had just moved in, and they wanted to get a look at our program," Francey said of meeting Rainey Gross in January. "I thought it might be a good idea to bring our captain, too, just to be sure."
Francey said the team went undefeated in region play and won almost all of its matches in straight sets during the season.
Brighton High's role as a tournament host continues. The school also hosted the 6A girls tennis state first round Saturday, Oct. 3. The 6A Round of 16 moves to Liberty Park Tennis Center on Thursday, Oct. 8, with the 4A tournament following Friday, Oct. 9.
