Zachary Larsen story

Playing tennis at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale comes with the hope of winning. The program has won three of the last four Division I State Championships in women’s tennis, including this year, beating Hamilton 5-2.

One of the main reasons for the team’s success is the performance of senior Savanna Kollock, who finished 14-0 and finished 28-1 in sets during the regular season.

Savanna is the fourth junior player in Arizona, according to Tennis Recruiting Network. Nationally, she is No.102 on the recruiting list for the 2022 class.

“She is probably the most amazing tennis athlete I have ever met,” said Desert Mountain women’s tennis head coach Kim Dever. “She’s going to go a long way in her tennis career.”

For Kollock, it was a relief to finally win a state title.

“It was a great feeling to see everything finally come together,” said Kollock. “When we finally won, I thought we finally did. After some controversy, like the last few years. We as a team really deserve it.

Division 1. STATE CHAMPIONS – in singles: Savanna Kollock in doubles: Julia Frazier / Olivia Kim ♥ ️🎾💪👍 pic.twitter.com/yiiKaFdK0h

– Desert Mountain High School (@DMHSSUSD) May 4, 2021

The team had waited two years to claim another championship. In 2019, Wolves were disqualified by the AIA after a team reported them for changing rosters during the playoffs. They were forced to forfeit their semi-final game against Hamilton.

After a rapid start in 2020, the season has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many tennis courts closed for months as facilities began to close in March, leaving Kollock and his teammates looking for a place to play a sport that requires major dedication.

“I usually play like two or three times a day,” Kollock said. “It kind of depends on the schedule, but I’m going to play four to six hours a day. “

The Arizona native also plays in other events across the country. The United States Tennis Association will host tournaments in Georgia and South Carolina, in which Kollock will participate this summer. Coaches from various colleges will be in attendance and Savanna will have the opportunity to show off her talents before committing to college.

“I have been able to visit a few colleges so far,” Kollock said. “I always try to choose between local colleges and more out of state. If they watch me play, I can talk to them more and see which one I like best.

Tennis is also part of the family, his father Tom, a teacher at Arizona Country Club, was Kollock’s first coach in his early days. Dever credits Savanna’s family for making her the person and player she is today.

“She’s mentally strong, physically fit and probably one of the sweetest, cutest girls you’ve ever met off the pitch,” she said. “I really count this to his family. They support her, her grandparents too. They are almost every game to cheer him on.

Outside of tennis, his passion for reading and writing led to the creation of his own children’s book titled “The Wonderful World of Cleo-cat-tra insects”.

“I actually wrote a children’s book when I was 11 and just got it published,” she said. “It’s for children
just learn to read. This is the sequel to a series written by my grandmother, so it kind of inspired me.

With one season remaining at Desert Mountain, Kollock is set to be the team’s captain as she tries to steer the program to another Division I state title.

“She will definitely be one of our captain’s spots next year and I think it’s so great for our young ladies to be able to have her,” said Dever. “I think the girls would be lucky to have Savanna as their captain because she encompasses everything about tennis and the athletes, which the athletes should be.”