By Jimmy Hyams
The Webb School tennis program has created a dynasty rarely if ever seen in the state of Tennessee.
The Lady Spartans have won 14 state team championships, 11 under coach Jimmy Pitkanen, and eight in a row.
The Spartan boys team has won six of the last eight.
To cap it off, Webb became the first school in state history to win the boys team, singles and doubles championships, and the girls team, singles and doubles titles in the same year. And they did it without a single senior in the lineup.
“I’m so pleased,’’ Pitkanen said. “It was a remarkable performance by the kids. They worked so hard to do it and they really came through in the clutch.’’
No one was more clutch than freshman Harrison Williams, who won the boys singles in bizarre fashion. After hurting his serving shoulder in team competition, he served underhanded in all four individual singles matches.
“I really didn’t think I would win,’’ Williams said. “It was pretty surprising.’’
Williams said he’d never been forced to serve underhanded in a match before.
“I mixed it up, spins, drops. It was pretty fun, I guess, pretty exciting,’’ said Williams, who lost serve only once in four matches.
Did he think of withdrawing?
“No, that really wasn’t an option for me,’’ Williams said. “I didn’t want to stop playing because my ground strokes were perfectly fine.’
Pitkanen was confident Williams could hold his own despite the shoulder problem.
“Harrison is one of the most resourceful players I have,’’ Pitkanen said. “He’s going to do things that are necessary to win. It wasn’t surprising to me, but it was a surprise that he did try the drop-shot serve a couple of times. I thought he was going to get killed.’’
In 2011, Pitkanen had another player overcome injury to win state. Brandon Fickey broke his thumb and resorted to playing left handed and hitting some underhanded serves. That didn’t stop Fickey from winning his fourth consecutive state singles title.
Webb’s Ohm Sharma and Ben Pearce won boys doubles in their first season playing together. Sharma won singles last year, but Pitkanen entered him in doubles, thinking that would give the Spartans their best representation. In state, you can enter singles or doubles – not both.
“We don’t really play conventional doubles,’’ Sharma said. “We like to basically keep opponents off their feet and throw in a lot of weird shots trying to make sure they’re not able to get a good rhythm.’’
Pearce said winning state was particularly meaningful for him since he didn’t quality individually last year and the team finished runner-up.
“It took weight off my shoulders,’’ said Pearce, the team captain.
Lauren Yoon was gratified to win state after losing in the semifinals as a freshman and falling in the finals as a sophomore.
Her strategy: “Don’t lose my head.’’
Anna Wisniewski and Audrey Yoon, Lauren’s younger sister, won doubles, defeating teammates in what Pitkanen called a “gut-wrenching’’ final.
“It was very emotional because both teams want to win and we’re such good friends,’’ Audrey Yoon said. “It was hard to keep your mindset while they were getting mad and we were getting upset, too.’’
Audrey Yoon said she cried after the match out of joy for herself but sadness for her teammates.
Wisniewski said it was “awkward’’ facing teammates in the final. She encountered the same dilemma last year, but lost in the doubles finals.
Lauren Yoon was asked if there is pressure on the girls to win state and maintain the streak.
“I don’t say it’s incredible pressure,’’ Lauren Yoon said, “but I did say right before the final, I don’t want to be a part of losing the streak.’’
Pitkanen said he treats each season differently and doesn’t refer to previous success.
“What’s happened in the past is done,’’ Pitkanen said. “I never bring it up to the kids. I don’t want them thinking they have to measure up to anything — except set their own performance standards.’’
Pitkanen was thrilled to see the boys finally break through for their first title in 2010.
“We’d been so close,’’ Pitkanen said. “We’d been runner-up twice before that. … It was really fun for me to see the guys achieve what they achieved. It was very rewarding.’’
While the Webb girls have the upper hand with 14 state titles, the boys with six have done quite well. But the girls still have bragging rights, and they rub it in on the practice courts, before matches, even in the lunch line.
Pearce said the girls’ success motivates the boys.
“Definitely, there’s no question because they always have that above us,’’ Pearce said. “They’ve won however many they’ve won in a row and they always brag about it.’’
Pitkanen will tell you the secret to his success is his players. But he has a philosophy that has served him well as a 20-year high school coach.
“We’re going to teach you how to be your own coach on the court’’ Pitkanen said. “That’s a very important concept. Some kids need the coaching. Some kids need the encouragement. And some need to be left alone. You have to figure that out.’’
Pitkanen said it’s rewarding to see his players win state, but it’s also a thrill to see them garner college scholarships.
“I really appreciate what they are doing for the school first,’’ Pitkanen said. “Our school supports them in an amazing way. But to see them have success afterward is a unique benefit to my job.’’
Pitkanen took time to note that of the eight possible state team titles in tennis, Knoxville won four: Webb got two, the Catholic girls and Christian Academy of Knoxville boys got the others.
Why is Knoxville high school tennis so good?
“I think it’s so competitive,’’ Pitkanen said. “Kids drive each other. When they see success from another kid, they want to achieve that as well and work hard to do that.’’
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