This article recaps a segment from The Rush's Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026 episode. Watch the full show.
Desert Hills won the 4A girls tennis state title this month, and two of its champions live in the same house. Freshman LuLu Shiozawa won No. 1 singles and junior Stella Shiozawa won No. 2 singles as the Thunder beat Highland 40-33 for the program's fifth girls state title, according to the Deseret News.
For Stella, it was the year she felt most connected to the team. "We won all of our region matches, which was a great thing to be a part of," she said. "I was able to be really involved and just really get to know a lot of the people on the team." LuLu said her first season was "even better than I imagined. And it was really cool to play with my sister and my friends."
Fourth time's the charm
LuLu's final was a rematch with Orem freshman Sydney Eraso, who had beaten her in all three of their previous meetings. LuLu won 6-2, 7-6 (7-5). "My mindset was just like, you just have to play your game, you know, play fearless like you have nothing to lose," she said. "This time is going to be different. I know it. You just have to believe in yourself."
She also changed rackets, switching from Wilson to Head. But she said the bigger change was mental. "This is a bigger moment than any of the other times that we've played. So I just kind of had to clutch up." The last point of the match was one of the longest of her season. "I'm pretty sure was like, at least like 20 shots," she said. "We were not going to miss."
The match that decided the team title
Stella was the top seed at No. 2 singles and admitted she was nervous. She lost the first set to Highland's Caroline Gardner before coming back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. "Once I started being able to trust in my shots and my serves, I was able to kind of start getting that upper hand," she said.
She did not know until afterward that Highland was right behind Desert Hills in the team race. "When I walked off and they're like, hey, you're the reason we won, I was shook," she said. "I'm really glad I didn't know, because that probably would have added an extra layer of pressure." It was her second straight individual state title after she won No. 3 singles as a sophomore.
Big sister, little sister
The sisters see different strengths in each other's games. "Stella, she is such an aggressive player," LuLu said. "She has a lot of variety. She has slices and drop shots, and her serve is huge." Stella said what she loves most about LuLu is how much she wants it. "You can tell she wants it more than anybody I see. And she's willing to go for every shot," she said. "It's something that makes me just so proud to be her big sister. I love being her older sister. It's my favorite thing ever."
Both credited coach Emily Christensen. "She puts our emotions and what we need ahead of the tennis, which is sometimes really important," Stella said. "And she also has a high emphasis on breathing, which really does play a big role in matches, especially when the stress kicks in." LuLu added, "She definitely has our best interests at heart."
Stella said teammate and team captain Annika Almaraz, a friend for almost seven years, has always lifted her up. "She's always able to build me up if I'm struggling or if I just need a little confidence boost," she said. Both sisters will be back next season, with Stella a senior and LuLu a sophomore.