When the Edwardsville girls tennis team needs a spark, coach Dave Lipe knows he can count on Tess Severin, Paige Sturley and Jessica Burns.
The senior trio has been instrumental in another strong season for the Tigers, who play Friday and Saturday at the Alton Sectional. The top four singles players and the top four doubles teams advance to the state tournament, Oct. 20-22 in suburban Chicago.
"You want kids to feel like they need to continue a positive tradition," Lipe said. "When these girls were freshmen, it almost felt like we starting over because we didn't have any seniors that year. I'm not going to say we were rebuilding, but we were definitely establishing our own identity.
"We made a decision three years ago that we saw potential in those three to be leaders on and off the court. Paige and Tess between them have been to state six times and Jessica has qualified twice.
"Their numbers speak for themselves, but numbers tell only a portion of the story. All three are honor students and make great decisions and make a perfect example for younger players on and off the court."
Severin, who played No. 1 singles the past three seasons, is in the No. 2 spot this year behind junior Morgan McGinnis. She is also playing No. 2 doubles after playing No. 1 as a junior and No. 3 as a sophomore.
"This season has been a lot of fun and we're doing really well," Severin said. "I wanted to make this my best season yet and so far I think I've done that.
"Being a senior, it's a little different, but I like it. We go up to Chicago every other week and that gives us a lot of experience. It definitely helps us at state so you're not totally shocked when you get there."
Last year Severin and Sturley were doubles partners at state and posted a 3-2 record.
"I played singles my freshman and sophomore years and it's really hard to do well in singles because there are so many good players from Chicago," Severin said. "I was pretty happy with how we did in doubles."
Severin started playing tennis the summer before sixth grade.
"I play at the (Edwardsville) YMCA during the winter and last year I went to Kings Point (in Belleville) too," Severin said. "I'm aggressive and I hit hard. This year I started hitting kick serves, which is something I had problems learning. It's nice to have a second serve that actually goes in."
Severin isn't sure if she'll play tennis in college.
"There are a lot of colleges where I can get a really good academic scholarship and I wouldn't be able to play tennis," Severin said. "If I went that route, I would definitely still play club tennis."
Sturley played No. 1 doubles the past three years and is currently playing No. 4 singles, but has also seen action in the third and fifth spots.
"We just keep winning and it's nice to know our hard work has paid off," Sturley said. "When we play other teams, they know who we are.
"Another part of the tradition is all the work we do in the offseason. That really shows up whenever we play matches."
While she has had some success in singles, Sturley especially enjoys playing doubles.
"Tess and I made it to the second day at state last year and we won more than we lost, which is a big deal for us," Sturley said. "My doubles partner this year is Casey Bonham, who is a junior. It was a little different at first after playing with Tess, but she and Casey are both really aggressive, which is nice for doubles. I'm aggressive, but I try to keep the ball in play. I'm a little scared sometimes to go for it all the way like they might do."
Sturley started playing in fourth grade with Tiger Tennis and LTA (Lipe Tennis Academy, now Tiger Tennis Academy). She began playing tournaments a year later.
"I take lessons with coach Lipe and with Bob Meyers (former coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville)," Sturley said. "This year at state I'd like to win at least one more match.
"College-wise, I'm thinking about playing tennis, but I'm not sure yet. If I go to a D-II school, I'll definitely try to play."
Burns didn't start playing tennis until the summer before her freshman year.
"I haven't played very long compared a lot of the girls, so I started on JV and worked my way up," said Burns, in her third varsity season. "I'm playing No. 5 singles and No. 1 doubles, so it's fun to see how I've developed and how the team has developed.
"Doubles is my strong point and I really stuff my volleys, which is something I've worked on. My serve has improved a lot too. I think we practice more than any other team at the school and I think that makes a difference."
Like the other seniors, Burns wants to do her part to maintain the Tiger tradition.
"Seeing all the girls that have gone through the program, I feel I owe it to them to keep up all the time they put into it," said Burns, who had a 2-2 record in doubles at state last year with partner Maria Kovarik. "I took a lot of private lessons this summer and years previous with Paul Stuart, the assistant boys coach, and he's helped me a lot. He's watched me play for a long time and he knows which specific shots I need to work on.
"I'm very aggressive and good at moving people back and forth on the court. I move up to the net when I get the chance so I can put the volley away."
This will probably be Burns' last year of competitive tennis.
"I still love it and I want to keep playing, but in college I'm looking to play intramurals instead of actually playing for the school," Burns said. "I want to go to SIUE and get my bachelor's (degree) in exercise science because I want to be a physical therapist."
TENNIS NOTES: Edwardsville placed second to Belleville West in last weekend's Southwestern Conference Tournament. For more on the tourney, go to stlhighschoolsports.com.
In other tournaments, the Tigers placed seventh among 16 teams at New Trier, first among 32 teams at the Bradshaw Invitational, fourth among 16 teams at Loyola, second among 16 teams at the Southern Illinois Duals and first among eight teams at Lockport. The Tigers' dual match record is 25-6.
