Coco Burfien standing out for sectional champion Saint Joseph girls tennis
After South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis won its 18th straight IHSAA sectional championship, Coco Burfien emphasized the importance of every point.
MISHAWAKA – It took less than 80 minutes, including warmups, for South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis to beat Glenn 5-0 and win its 18th IHSAA sectional championship in a row on May 21. While No. 1 singles junior Libby Yergler was first off the court after winning her match 2-0 (6-0, 6-0), sophomore Coco Burfien didn’t follow too far behind at No.
2 singles with the same score. Now at 16-3 this season and fully capable of being the No. 1 in almost any other program in the area, Burfien still didn’t take Thursday lightly.
“It’s a big day for us,” she said. “We have to be grateful for what we do, and we can’t expect to win. We still have to fight for everything we do … Every match matters.
” More: All South Bend area IHSAA girls tennis sectional results, stats When she isn’t playing for the Huskies, Burfien fills the rest of her tennis calendar competing with United States Tennis Association (USTA) Midwest across the country. In fact, she said her favorite place she has traveled to for a tournament is Puerto Rico. Head coach Bill Mountford has led Saint Joseph to two state championships and five semi-state titles, and even still, Burfien made an immediate impression on him as a freshman last season.