RETURNING FOR MORE
LOWVILLE — Katie O'Brien has surprised a lot of opponents over the years.
The Lowville senior, with her slender, petite frame and happy-go-lucky attitude, has been taking down the competition since she was playing third singles as an eighth-grader.
"Even though she's been around I think a lot of people still come off the court shaking their heads going, 'I can't believe this little girl beat me,'" Lowville coach Jim Rhodes said. "Everybody knows who she is now, but I think sometimes they still are surprised."
O'Brien has claimed a Frontier League championship the last four years. Her freshman and junior seasons she captured the first singles title. As a sophomore she won at second singles, and her eighth-grade year she was the third singles champ.
"She hits the ball surprisingly hard," Rhodes said. "But she is really good at being kind of a counter-puncher. So when you hit the ball real hard it's going to come back at you with that same amount of pace."
According to Rhodes, O'Brien's strengths include hitting from the baseline, returning the ball and making very few mistakes.
"My coaches and parents always say that I have consistency in my hits," O'Brien noted.
The only competitors she hasn't been able to catch off guard have been her sectional and state qualifier opponents. She has competed three times in the final of the Section 3 individual championships over the last four seasons and come up short each time. O'Brien's toughest sectional rival was Manlius Pebble Hill's Christina Douglas, who graduated last school year. With Douglas out of her way, this could be O'Brien's year for a sectional crown.
"I want to win sectionals, that's my goal," O'Brien said.
Whatever the outcome this season, O'Brien has left a lasting mark on the Lowville tennis program. She holds the school record for career wins in tennis, which was formerly held by her sister, Rachael, a 2006 graduate. Katie surpassed Rachael's mark with win No. 67 last year and enters this season with 76 career victories and just nine losses.
Katie O'Brien's most treasured moment in tennis involved playing against Rachael in the individual sectional championships in 2005.
"I really liked playing my sister in the finals my eighth grade year," Katie said.
Rachael, a senior tennis player at The College of St. Rose, continues to impact Katie's tennis career.
"I played with her everyday for most of the summers when she was home," O'Brien said. "She teaches me while we play, so that helps."
Rhodes said O'Brien is still working on her forehand and her second serve.
"My forehand is a little weak, but I'm working on that on the lobster, the ball machine," O'Brien said.
"Her game has really evolved," Rhodes said. "She can adapt. She's not just the backboard, just a wall that gets everything back anymore. She can change pace. She's not real comfortable at the net, but she can come to the net, and she's solid. She can be more aggressive and take control of a match and move people around."
This season, O'Brien's stiffest competition may come from one of her own teammates, sophomore Julia Guignard, who played second doubles last season. The two will play off for the team's first singles position this week.
Lowville, which earned its fourth consecutive Section 3 Class C championship last year, is also on a streak in Frontier League play. The Red Raiders start this season with 64 straight league victories. Last year, they broke the school record for consecutive regular season wins with 55.
It may be a challenge to keep that trend going this year. There are only 13 athletes on the team, and they return just O'Brien and Guignard from last year's starting squad. In addition, the Red Raiders are awaiting the completion of their new tennis courts and have had to travel to Carthage to practice.
