Girls tennis 2022: Singular focus and determination serve Amherst's Elaine Kapalin well

In the summer of 2020, Elaine Kapalin decided she wanted to play tennis. She bought a racket, dusted off the muscle memory from her lessons in fourth grade and showed up at the varsity tryouts as a freshman with virtually no experience. "I was really nervous going into it," Kapalin said. "Everyone was very welcoming, so I really appreciated that. I've made some great friends throughout that. I've always been shy at first. When it came to meeting new people and starting something new I was always a little nervous. So with the team being so welcoming that helped a lot." Once she got a taste, she went all in and set a goal of winning one of the Comets' singles positions, a goal she achieved this preseason after being selected to play third singles. The junior earned the spot by taking every available opportunity to hone her craft. "She is a true indication of what hard work, dedication and putting the time in while still keeping the love and excitement of playing the sport," Amherst coach Kyle Hougland said. "She's now my third best player. She went from being on the outside, being the eighth best player on an eight-player team, to being the third-best player out of 15 girls, the most I've ever had. She's the epitome of what determination, dedication and passion for the sport looks like." Amherst did not have enough players in 2020 to field a junior varsity team. With only one reserve, it needed every body just to fill out its roster. That allowed everyone to gain varsity experience. Kapalin struggled and at one point lost her varsity spot to another player. But regardless of the result, she stayed focused on improving. "I took every match seriously because I was always learning something new," Kapalin said. "I always improved after each match and practice. Even if I had a bad match, I would hit off of my garage or a wall to practice to end on a good note. I was always working to improve." With a season under her belt and a clear idea of what varsity tennis looked like, she set off to win a singles spot as a sophomore. Hougland said Kapalin took advantage of every opportunity he provided to hit after school and messaged him with questions. She got a new racket, better shoes and logged a ton of hours on the court developing consistency in her strokes. One of the biggest changes she made was adapting a continental grip for her serve, adding more spin and making it more reliable. "Some of the girls who come in now as freshmen are better than Elaine was her freshman year," Hougland said. "She's got the formula if you really want to get better and it's not from spending thousands of dollars in lessons. It's getting on the court and really understanding that your improvement is 100 percent you. You get what you put in. She is the poster child of that." Despite her improvement, Kapalin didn't win a singles spot last season. Instead, she and Carly Traut partnered at first doubles for the regular season. With Kapalin roaming the baseline and Traut's strong net play, the duo made a formidable team and were a big reason why the Comets had a winning record. Kapalin got to play singles at the Division I Elyria sectional, winning her opening match 6-3, 6-4 before losing in the second round to Olmsted Falls' Morgan Truscott, who went on to reach the quarterfinals. "She's one of the most wonderful people I know," Traut said of Kapalin. "She's such a supportive teammate. Even if I'm playing singles against her, if I miss a shot she'll pick me up and tell me I'll do better. She's such a sweet person." Kapalin excels on the baseline, but doubles helped her improve her decision making at the net and overall accuracy. Hougland said that experience, combined with another offseason of focused improvement, has helped her become a better all-around player. This year, with more young talent coming in and the Comets' varsity roster improving, Kapalin hopes to help the team build off of last season's success. "Singles was the position I always wanted to play," Kapalin said. "I played it a little bit my freshman year and I got a taste of what it was like and I really liked it. So my sophomore year when I didn't get it, I knew I really wanted to get it this year. I was really excited when I did." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.