When a team has its best season, there’s usually a price to pay the next year.
Last fall, the St. Pius X girls tennis team had a record of 14-1 and won Class 1, District 2. The Lancers’ season ended with a loss to Kennett in the sectional round. The price tag attached to that success was the loss of their three top players to graduation – Suzie Wilson, Jordan Schulze and Lilly Bollmann.
This fall it’s a different story.
“This season we’re working very hard to end with a winning record and do well in the team district tournament,” St. Pius head coach Stephen Kainz said.
Another big change for St. Pius is it has moved into District 3 with a new set of opponents, including Affton, DuBourg, Lutheran South, Notre Dame St. Louis and Windsor. The Lancers have won four straight matches after losing their first two this season. They’ve played two district foes, losing to Notre Dame in the opener and beating Windsor 8-1 on Sept. 17. St. Pius (7-3) beat the Owls 7-2 in the rematch on Sept. 25.
Kainz said he likes the new district makeup.
“It’s been a few seasons since St. Pius were underdogs, but it actually kind of takes some pressure off the team and they’re not so stressed about winning every single match and having perfect records,” he said.
A trio of seniors form the Lancers’ top three singles players. Sydney Proffer (No. 1), Olivia Pettibone (No. 2) and Elli Rosenauer (No. 3) are next in line to keep the St. Pius team moving upward. Teamed with Schulze in doubles play, Proffer and Schulze medaled in the district tournament the last two years. Pettibone is Proffer’s new No. 1 doubles partner.
“They complement each other well because Sydney is very steady and consistent and Olivia can attack more,” Kainz said.
The No. 2 doubles team of Rosenauer and junior Ella Campbell has the same dynamic as the No. 1 pairing. Rosenauer is the aggressor, while Campbell is more reactionary.
“But it will be interesting to see how these four do as the top players,” Kainz said. “They’ve had a lot of success playing the bottom half of varsity, but they’ve always had older girls ranked ahead of them, taking the brunt of the competition. Sydney is already proving she can hang with the other No. 1 players in the area.”
Newcomers to the St. Pius varsity are sophomores Sophia Stolzer and Caroline Kurzweil, who form the No. 3 doubles. Stolzer and Kurzweil won their doubles match against Windsor 8-1. Stolzer was ranked No. 18 as a freshman and worked her way onto the varsity. There are 18 players on the Lancers this season.
“Those two players, along with a bunch of St. Pius girls, have really put in a lot of work in the offseason to improve dramatically,” Kainz said.
Kainz said the Lancers are supportive of each other and that’s been a big part of their success.
“Tennis can get dicey sometimes because it has that individual aspect of it and there are players who can get wrapped up in that and are only worried about their own matches regardless of the rest of the them,” Kainz said.
“They enjoy being around each other and encourage each other on and off the court. They make music videos, have sing-alongs on the bus and bring in ice cream trucks for their birthdays.”
Owls lean on veteran coach
Doc Carranza won his 200th match as a tennis coach during the boys tennis season in the spring.
The 200 victories reflect Carranza’s record coaching the boys and girls at Windsor. This is his eighth season at the helm of the girls team. His record coaching the girls as of Monday is 44-48.
Because of Carranza’s steady hand on the two programs, Windsor has good numbers each year and is competitive at districts and beyond. The last member of the girls team to reach state was Ellie Jablonowski in 2015.
“Most of our players, as most players today, are baseline players,” Carranza said. “They have better forehands and backhands than volleys and overheads. We do have a few players trying to serve and volley, and they are getting better at it.”
The Owls fell to 5-7 this year after losses last week to North County, St. Pius and Farmington. The Lancers have taken the baton as the top boys and girls tennis program in the county the last two seasons.
Windsor has a strong, set lineup. Junior Kenzie Sowa is No. 1 and seniors Bailey Anderson, Kenzie Lamkins, Alyssa Weisner, Nikki Rice and Kenzie Cope round out the top six, in that order. Sowa and Anderson form the No. 1 doubles team, with Weisner and Rice at No. 2 and Lamkins and Symphony Schodroski at No. 3.
A couple of the Windsor players take tennis lessons outside of school.
“I encourage it because they can hear what we are saying, but from a different person,” Carranza said. “They may tell them to do the same stuff that we tell them, but maybe in a different way or say it in a way they understand better.”