By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
On Sept. 24, the Whitewater Whippets’ girls tennis team made history. For the first time in the program’s history since the Rock Valley Tennis Conference began, nine seasons ago, the team took home the conference tournament title.
In 2011, the Whippets and East Troy tied for the conference championship, and every other year, McFarland had won the title. The Whippets pulled out three tie-breakers on Thursday, which is something the team is used to over the course of the season.
“This season was a surprise,” Whippets head coach Tim Nelson said. “We had an injury before the season even started that put the whole lineup into a large question mark. We had to have girls move around and step up more than expected. I thought we would be in the top half of the conference, maybe as high as second, but I didn’t expect this. The entire year we had nothing but close matches, but we continued to pull them out. The girls really stepped up to the challenge.”
In addition to the team championship, four girls won individual championships as well: Milena Maroske at No. 2 singles, Amanda Kraayvanger at No. 3 singles, Sally Hixson and Alli Sedmak at No. 1 doubles and Emma Stutzman and Ali Ketterhagen at No. 2 doubles.
Nelson also said Izzy Zahn, Betsy Hixson, Andi Markham and Maggie Hough all made huge contributions all season long as well.
“I am so proud of these 10 kids,” Nelson said. “On and off the court they are a team and it was their hard work and commitment to each other that allowed us to win.”
The team’s No. 1 singles player the entire year was Izzy Zahn. Zahn isn’t solely a tennis player, and so to go against opposing team’s top players on a match-to-match basis can be seen as daunting. Top tennis players often receive private lessons, which Nelson said could sometimes cost over tens of thousands of dollars.
Nelson also talked about how much Zahn sacrificed for the team, and that if she were playing No. 3 singles all year long, she would have as many wins as the team’s conference champion, Kraayvanger.
“This is my 26th year as the coach,” Nelson said. “This team’s strength is their depth. They aren’t the strongest team I have had, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 teams were our strongest, but with their depth, these guys aren’t far behind.”
Hixson and Sedmak at No. 1 doubles have recorded over 20 wins so far this season. The biggest improvement on the team could be seen at No. 2 doubles, with Stutzman and Ketterhagen. The duo finished fifth at No. 3 doubles a year ago, yet finished as the conference champions at No. 2 doubles this season.
“Milena Maroske and Amanda Kraayvanger are just as consistent as you can get,” Nelson said. “Andi Markham switched over to doubles and has done a nice job making the transition and then [helped] Maggie Hough move up to the varsity level. Maggie is really starting to step things up here at the end of the season. Betsy Hixson had a tough job being a freshman and moving right into the starting lineup.
“The true key to this team is the word, ‘team’. They back each other up all the time. We don’t have the drama that you hear about on other teams and that is why these kids were able to step it up and pull out all of those close matches. As a program that has always been our strength – no drama and teams that truly like each other and want to hang out both on and off the court.”
On Thursday, the Whippets’ final match of the season will be a home match against Watertown Luther Prep. After that match, is the beginning of WIAA Sub Sectionals play, which starts on Monday.
Nelson said state tournament play is completely different than conference play. The Whippets are in a sectional with a bunch of private schools from the Madison, Milwaukee and Racine areas.
The Whippets have sent individuals to the state tournament in 10 of the last 11 seasons, with last year being the only year they have missed out.
