From her serves to her ground strokes, Baldwinsville girls tennis junior Kahlei Reisinger simply plays at a different speed than the vast majority of her opponents.
Showing that she has the goods to contend for the biggest prize of all, Reisinger blazed through the singles field at Drumlins Tennis Club to advance to her third consecutive New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship tournament.
When state tournament play begins next Saturday at Tri-City Tennis Club in Latham, near Albany, Reisinger will face players much more similar to her skill level, and will do so with a burning hunger to change the results from the last two years.
In both 2012 and 2013, Reisinger lost early in the main bracket, and though she won the out-bracket two years ago, Reisinger has no intention of going there in the early stages this time around.
“Mentally, I am stronger,” said Reisinger, comparing her current status with that of the last two years. “Physically, I have lifted weights, run and played as much tennis as possible. I want to stay consistent and try my hardest.”
That strength and consistency has carried Reisinger through a season where she never lost a set in the regular-season or various Section III tournaments, including the qualifier.
It didn’t take long for Reisinger to get through Tuesday’s early rounds at Drumlins, shutting out Manlius-Pebble Hill’s Olivia Sheppard 6-0, 6-0 before handling Fayetteville-Manlius’ Maggie Bonomo 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, a bit of payback after the Hornets edged B’ville in a taut sectional Class A team tournament final Oct. 14 at Mott Courts in Utica.
Two days later, in the semifinal against New Hartford’s Sarah Corasanti, something shocking happened – Reisinger fell behind, 2-1, in the first set. But from there, Reisinger’s power and consistency proved too much in a 6-2, 6-1 victory that sewed up the state tournament berth.
The final, against Auburn’s Julia Wagner (who beat her own teammate, Lauryn Husby, in the other semifinal), was a clash of left-handers, and proved a bit tougher. After a 6-0 first-set rout, Reisinger got a real challenge from Wagner in the second set, but pulled it out 7-5 for yet another tournament victory.
B’ville’s doubles team of Bridgett Brown and Natalie Kot led early in their first-round match at the state qualifier, but could not hang on against the Skaneateles duo of Makenzi Herbst and Grace Magee, who prevailed by scores of 3-6, 6-2 and 6-4. Herbst and Magee went on to a second-place finish at the qualifier, behind West Genesee’s Samantha Heyn and Marisa Joyce.
Sauquoit Valley’s sister tandem of Ella and Tanya Brutsky finished third and also advanced to the state tournament to join Reisinger, Wagner and Corasanti, who rebounded from her loss to Reisinger to beat Auburn’s Lauryn Husby 6-1, 6-0 in the consolation bracket final.
