As the opposing doubles team from Spring Hill High School served, senior Kelli Rutherford lunged and hit the ball as her shoes scraped across the wet ground. Her doubles partner, freshman Mikalea McCabe, twirled her racket as she watched the ball soar back over the net and hit the ground on the other side. The team smiled and high-fived after they won their point at their home tournament on Saturday, Sept. 17.
“[I prefer to play] doubles because you have someone to talk to,” Rutherford said. “You get the best of both teammates.”
Since head coach Casey Kuhn could only talk with players for 90 seconds every other game, it became necessary for the players to communicate with each other.
“When [the girls are] playing doubles, I really rely on them to help each other out,” Kuhn said.
To encourage each other, Rutherford and McCabe talked strategy and high-fived between points.
“[When you play singles], you don’t have someone else to keep your spirits up,” McCabe said. “Sometimes that’s hard when you’re doing badly.”
Though junior Joylyn Kennedy enjoyed playing doubles, the rewards of singles outweighed the pressure of working with a partner.
“I like singles a lot better because it’s just all on me,” Kennedy said. “It’s like you are a one-man show.”
Kuhn matched up the players for doubles based on their abilities and personalities, but the players still gave their input.
“At the varsity level [the players] get more say,” Kuhn said. “They go with who they work the best with, not just their best friend.”
All doubles partners worked differently, but the age difference between Rutherford and McCabe made every tournament a learning experience. Together they achieved a record of 2-1.
“[McCabe] is a good player, but she doesn’t know a lot of doubles strategies,” Rutherford said. “So I teach her.”
Throughout the season, the coaches tried to find the best doubles teams to take to regionals.
“Everyone can play singles well on their own,” Kuhn said. “But you really have to find people that work well together for doubles.”
Whether playing singles or doubles, McCabe used strategies to help her focus throughout the season.
“Tennis is just a mental game,” McCabe said. “So you just have to stay positive about everything you do.”
