2025 Vermont Girls Tennis Individual Championships
The 2025 Vermont Girls Tennis Individual Championships came to a thrilling conclusion this past Saturday at The EDGE in South Burlington, showcasing talent primarily from Champlain Valley Union High School and Mount Mansfield Union. Each school secured a championship title in this exciting three-day event, which served as a precursor to the team playoffs set to begin in early June.
Bea Molson’s Remarkable Comeback
In a notable comeback, Bea Molson from Mount Mansfield reaffirmed her status as one of the top players in high school tennis. Making history three years ago as the first Cougar to win an individual championship during her freshman year, she faced uphill battles in the subsequent years, falling short against Champlain Valley’s Anna Dauerman in both 2023 and 2024 semifinals. Returning to the tournament this year as the number one seed, Molson had an unblemished regular season, winning all 11 of her matches.
In the finals, she redeemed herself by defeating third-seeded Dauerman with a score of 6-4, 6-3, thereby securing her second individual title before graduating.
Molson shared her tactical approach post-match, saying, “(My strategy was) just to keep the play going and hit it behind her to hit winners and just focus on the ball and hit it deep.”
Champlain Valley’s Success in Doubles
Meanwhile, the doubles competition saw Champlain Valley’s Ariel Toohey finally claim victory alongside her new partner, sophomore Rylee Makay. After finishing as the runner-ups for the past two years to the duo from Stowe High School, the opportunity to compete against different opponents and alongside a new partner proved fruitful. Although Toohey and Makay had not played together before this tournament, they quickly built rapport, winning their initial three matches in straight sets to make it to the finals.
The championship match against Mount Mansfield’s Estelle First and Ava Poehlmann was an intense encounter, culminating in a 7-6, 3-6, 10-4 victory for Toohey and Makay. This win marked a significant achievement for Toohey, who expressed her elation, stating, “Definitely super satisfying, especially in my senior year. It was good to have a new opponent and a new partner and just a fresh start.”
Toohey reflected on their performance, saying, “We knew we had nothing to lose because we didn’t have a reputation as a doubles team, so we kind of gave it our all.”
Their success in the third set tiebreaker contributed to CVU’s overall girls doubles championship, their first since 2018, showcasing the deep talent pool and competitive spirit within Vermont high school tennis.
Connect with Judith Altneu for more updates on sports at jaltneu or follow her on X (formerly Twitter). Originally published on Burlington Free Press: Vermont High School Tennis Individual Tournament: Highlights of Bea Molson’s Victory and CVU Girls’ Successful Doubles Championship.
