Gee, I wonder where this girl gets her drive to be the best?
POULSBO — There’s no higher prize for a high school tennis player than winning a state championship.
A hard-working, lucky few have won more than one.
North Kitsap freshman Danya Wallis has the goal of following in the steps of Klahowya grad Tracy Landram, who is playing at the Air Force Academy, by winning three Class 2A state singles titles.
Except she wants four.
Wallis took the first steps in her quest after claiming the Olympic League championship with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Bremerton’s Sarah Casias. Up next is the Class 2A West Central District tournament at the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Center in Bremerton on Friday and Saturday. Wallis is the top seed and hopes to start what she sees as a productive four-year journey.
“I really want to make it to state,” she said. “I want to fulfill that (mark) too.”
Wallis played against Landram at the club, and the two will hit the ball around when Landram is come from the academy.
“I want to go to college for tennis, too,” Wallis said.
North Kitsap coach Jordan Prince said it’s a daunting task to win state as a freshman, but it’s not a question of whether or not Wallis has the talent, ball-striking skills or ability to win a state title.
“I really think the difference in her winning state and her placing is confidence,” he said. “Does she believe she can do it? If the answers yes, then she definitely has the skill level to do it.
“She’s just a different caliber than everybody else besides what we have on this team.”
Wallis’ strengths are her groundstrokes. She hits it hard. Many times opponents have completely whiffed on her shots, Prince said. She’s accurate and can win a game on her serving alone.
“I would say she’s definitely the hardest hitter in the league,” Prince said. “A lot of top spin and a lot of the girls that she faces aren’t used to it. I’ve seen more swing and misses from her opponents than I’ve seen from anybody else this year.”
What he’d like to see her continue to develop is her ability to get to the net and put an opponent away. Prince said she might be too comfortable whaling from the baseline, something that state-caliber players are capable of matching.
“I wouldn’t call it a weakness though,” he said.
Prince has told her before less-competitive matches to put herself in situations where she has to work on all aspects of her game.
“You have to work on the things you’re gong to use against better players. Work on your Plan B because Plan A isn’t always going to work,” Prince said.
Wallis, who started playing in the sixth grade, saw her stock rise on the U.S. Tennis Association circuit as a 14-year-old. She recently moved up to the 16s and is rated as a three-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net. She is ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 8 in the Northwest.
“It’s so different,” Wallis said of the difference in play from 14 to 16. “They hit harder; you have to run more. It’s definitely harder. In 14s, it’s all one game. In 16s everyone has a different style and you have to get used to it and learn how to compete against it and you have to learn what your advantages are against them.”
Prince has known Wallis for many years from her time spent at the KTAC, where she practices in the offseason about 20 hours a week with private lessons from Erik Jacobson and Arnel Hipolito. Prince said it’s also been an odd first-year for Wallis, who battled for the No. 1 spot with fellow freshman Annali Seaburg.
In her first match of the season, Wallis sliced her finger opening a can of tennis balls.
She played through it.
Wallis was sick for about three weeks and missed a handful of matches.
She went undefeated in league play.
In her first practice back from sickness, she was standing next to another teammate and her follow through hit Wallis in the head — leaving her with a nice racket-mark on her forehead.
“Yeah, not good,” she said. “Just bad luck.”
Wallis’ bad luck wasn’t done. She asked Prince to open a can for her at a match. Cans can be opened by tossing them hard on the ground and they’ll burst open — without anyone slicing their finger. Unfortunately, a piece of the lid hit Wallis in the leg giving her another cut.
The bizarre set of circumstances could only leave Wallis and Prince chuckling.
“I was like, just keep a racket in your hand you’ll be all right,” Prince said.
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