For most of the 2020s, one name has been synonymous with Notre Dame girls tennis, and that’s Galati.
The latest owner of the name who has solidified herself as one of the top players in program history is senior Caroline Galati.
Through three years, Galati has qualified for the Class 2 State Tournament twice, won two Class 2 District 1 doubles championships and helped the Bulldogs win a team district title her freshman year.
In now what will be the final year of organized tennis for Galati, it’s a bittersweet feeling for a sport she’s been around her whole life.
“It’s definitely a crazy feeling — it feels like just yesterday I was a freshman,” Galati said. “I was super scared to try out and scared if I was gonna even do well, but the last three years have flown by so fast. It’s so weird that like after this I’m gonna be done. It’s kind of scary and it’s sad, but I’m really excited for this season.”
Bringing Caroline into the world of tennis was her father, who also introduced the sport to Galati’s older sister and former Notre Dame great in 2024 graduate Vita Galati.
Galati’s dad helped her develop a love of the sport through seeing his own passion for it, while also taking she and her sister many different places to learn and grow in the sport.
Caroline and Vita were on the same team at Notre Dame when the Bulldogs last won a district championship, something their dad was able to witness.
“He was really inspiring to us — even when me and my older sister Vita were like four or five, we got introduced to tennis, and we’ve done like Notre Dame camps and SEMO camps on and off,” Caroline said. “I never really played in actual competitions until my freshman year. It’s just been like a little hobby that we had and played with my dad a lot.”
One former Bulldog who isn’t actually family but has been like a sister to Galati over the past few seasons was her former doubles partner and 2026 graduate Mary Tyler Cox.
Together, Galati and Cox became one of the top doubles duos in all of Southeast Missouri, winning back-to-back district championships together and making it to the state tournament twice.
“It is a big transition because I had Mary Tyler as my partner my sophomore and junior year, so now I’m onto somebody different,” Galati said. “It’s been awesome and I’m really excited about that, but it’s kind of hard because you build a strong connection and so much chemistry with one person and work together for so long. It’s weird because now she’s gone, and I have to restart that process all over again.”
Luckily for Galati, though, she will actually be paired with a member of her family for doubles in her final season, which is her cousin junior Anna Kate Galati.
While there could be a few challenges with a brand new doubles partner, Caroline has had plenty of experience creating chemistry with whoever she plays with and has already developed a bond on the court with Anna Kate.
“Playing with Anna Kate has been awesome and so much fun,” Galati said. “We’ve done a couple doubles lessons and have been playing together a lot. I see a lot of potential, and I think we’re going to do really well.”
Besides playing together, one way Galati knows how to develop a solid doubles duo is by simply making sure to have fun on the court whenever possible.
Especially at the high school level, Galati sees the importance of not taking things too seriously in order to not only enjoy the sport but also grow and build chemistry with her partner.
“I think it’s a change in mindset, especially in doubles,” Galati noted. “If your partner messes up or you mess up, you can’t do anything about it after. You just have to laugh it off, have some fun with it and cheer each other on because if you don’t try to have fun with it, you’re going to be miserable.
“You’re not going to be able build a connection and be able to get better with that person if you’re not including some laughter all the time. It just brings a little bit more life into the match.”
Last fall in singles matches, Caroline only lost one match all season and is hoping for an even more dominant year this time around.
The key for Galati to do so? Believing not just in herself, but also the teammates she’s helping along the way.
“I want to have a little bit more confidence in myself — not playing scared,” Galati said. “A big thing that I have been thinking about was helping my team. We have a lot of new freshman that have never really played before, and I want to help them grow and become better — do my part before I leave so they’re better off next year.”
On top of advancing to the state tournament for the second year in a row and winning another district doubles title, Galati was also one of the five girls tennis players from the area to be named a Semoball Finalist in the sport.
Someone like Caroline is already going to be remembered for not only her success on the court, but also the impact she’s made in the lives on and off the court thanks to her caring spirit.
“I want them to remember my competitiveness, but also my sportsmanship and good attitude,” Galati said. “I never want to bring people down — I always want to build them up. Always want to have a good attitude towards my opponent.
“Even if I’m down in a match, I want them to remember that I stayed calm and still had a good attitude. I still congratulate them after the match. I want my teammates to remember how much I tried to help and encourage them and cheer them on.”
