Kaelli Thiel. A freshman. Number one in varsity tennis singles.

Thiel has been playing tennis competitively for a year and a half and works three hours a day during the week and six hours a day on the weekends, allowing her to make the varsity team.

She plays in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments on the weekends. USTA is the largest tennis organization in the world, with over 750,000 individual members and a professional staff.  Their mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis.

Thiel said that playing in a USTA tournament is a lot more intense than playing with PHS because the competition is better.

Her teammates value her as an important part of the team.

“She is a great player because she is consistent throughout the match and has a strong mental game. She won’t let her opponent get into her head. I admire that about her”, said teammate junior Saya Leist.

Thiel’s work ethic is also something that her teammates admire about her.

“She spends a lot of time working out and staying in shape. She is always the first person to finish running in our warm-ups,” teammate sophomore Elizabeth Sweeney said.

Thiel hopes to play tennis in college and has been told by many people that she has the talent to be able to compete at that level.

“She practices everyday and plays in tournaments practically every weekend. She’s determined. She definitely has a lot of potential,” Leist said.

Although Thiel puts a lot of time into tennis, school is still her top priority, she said. She has learned to manage her time better so she can stay on top of her school work while playing tennis, she said.

She also said that tennis has shaped her to be a more focused and driven person.

Though Thiel plays a lot of tennis and takes it seriously, she still manages to have fun with her teammates.

She said that her teammates are very encouraging and that the whole team is really close.

“She is really fun to be around! She balances out tennis and social life very well,” Sweeney said.