Odd pairing and a couple of state champs help decide City League tennis title

Kathy Schulte said she saw a lot more smiles than she usually does.

The Kapaun coach paired Eleanor Baldwin, a senior and defending 5A doubles champion, with Reagan Boleski, a promising freshman, for the City League tournament Saturday. It paid off as they won the top bracket and helped Kapaun to an outright league title over Bishop Carroll.

“They both are very serious on the court,” Schulte said. “They make a great team. That was a risk that we haven’t done before, but when you put two of the best players together, that’s what you get.”

The pair beat new Carroll partners Lauren Steven and Paige Stranghoner, 6-3, 6-5.

Baldwin and Boleski said it isn’t weird to them. In fact, they like it. They used play doubles together before high school, Boleski said.

“When I was a freshman, I played with a senior, too,” Baldwin said. “I just tried to play up to the standards of the senior.”

That is the same in 2018.

“I just try to stay positive and try to keep each other up,” Boleski said.

On the other championship court, sophomore Clara Whitaker continued her dominance with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Carroll’s Brittany Steven for the singles title.

It was the fourth time the pair has met this season, and it was the best edition yet.

“It was stressful,” Whitaker said. “This was the best she has ever played, so it was hard to not get frustrated.”

Kapaun is rolling. The Crusaders are the aggressor in every match and keep their opponents on their heels, having to break serves and returns without getting to their often in too many instances.

Whitaker was the best example of that.

“She was going so risky on so many shots, and it was really working out for her,” Schulte said.

Whitaker said she told Steven, “See you next week,” as the rivals will likely meet for a fifth time this season at the 5A regional tournament at Eisenhower.

Schulte said she is pleased with how her team is playing. They just need to keep their confidence for the next two weeks.

“This feels fantastic,” she said. “I knew that we had the right team to do this, and I knew we had the right lineup. ... When you come and do it at a tournament, it’s always comforting because that’s the format we use from here on out.”