- Carter Wins 14th State Title to Break Record; Smith Stearns Students Collect Seven Titles at Palmetto Championships

Hayley Carter led the way this past week at the Palmetto Championships (SC State Closed) that was held June 2-7, 2012, in Belton, South Carolina capturing her 13th and 14th titles respectively. With those wins she goes down in history as one of the best players to play South Carolina tennis, winning the most SC State Championships by breaking the previous record of 13. She won the girls 18 and under singles championship by defeating Ansley Speaks, 6-2,6-1. For the doubles … read more

- Academy Students Dominate at Arkansas Qualifier

Smith Stearns students Mary Wright, Jackie Carr, and Katelyn Jackson travelled back home to Arkansas to compete in the Arkansas Junior Qualifier that was held in Little Rock from May 25th – 28th.  They surely didn’t take their trip lightly as Mary Wright won the girls 18 and under championship and Jackie Carr won the girls 16 and under championship defeating Katelyn Jackson in the finals. Carr and Jackson also teamed up to take home the girls 16’s doubles title. … read more

- April/May Tournament Highlights

Bullfrog Designated – Hilton Head Cameron Kriscunas – G14 Doubles Winner, 4th Place Singles Robert Loeb – B14 Doubles Finalist, Quarterfinalist Singles   Bullfrog Designated – Clemson/Furman Carsten Fisher – B16 Doubles Winner, 3rd Place Singles Hampton Drake – B16 Singles Finalist Jimmy Lange – B18 Doubles Semifinalist Natalie Kitchen – G16 Doubles Semifinalist   Southern Spring Closed Jackie Carr – G16 Singles Finalist Katelyn Jackson – G16 Doubles Finalist, Quarterfinalist Singles Carsten Fisher – B16 Doubles Finalist, Quarterfinalist Singles … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Morgan McNeal

Hometown: Beaufort, South Carolina College Commitment: St. Lawrence University     Originally from Beaufort, South Carolina, Morgan came to the academy a little over a year ago to further pursue tennis in an environment more conducive to individualized development. Morgan felt that Smith Stearns was the right fit for her after watching other academy students on and off the court at the tournaments that she played. Having played tennis since a little girl, it wasn’t until Morgan came to the … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Staley Smith

Hometown: Dedham, Massachusetts College Commitment: Johns Hopkins University   Staley Smith knows what the word perseverance means. After battling countless injuries over the years Staley has constantly been her own driving force, overcoming the many obstacles that faced her. She has remained positive and never gave up on her dreams of attending a top rated academic institution and playing collegiate tennis.   Attending the academy for the last 2 years, Staley says that she ultimately chose to attend Smith Stearns … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Katie Hoch

Hometown: Montclair, New Jersey College Commitment: University of Wisconsin   Katie has been playing tennis since she was 6 years old, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year that she realized she needed to move from her home in New Jersey where access to good tennis programs were limited, and move to Smith Stearns where she could really focus on improving her game. She has now been a member of the academy for almost three years after a week visit … read more

- Senior Spotlight: J.D. O'Brien

Hometown: Chagrin Falls, Ohio College Commitment: Winthrop University   J.D. O’Brien started playing tennis when he was 12 years old in his hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. After vacationing on Hilton Head and attending Smith Stearns for several summers, J.D. and his family fell in love with the family atmosphere that Smith Stearns has to offer and decided to make it their permanent residence. Over these past two years J.D. has been working effortlessly to fulfill his dream of competing … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Ashley Kitchen

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia College Commitment: University of Maryland   One of the longest attending students at the academy, Ashley relocated from the Savannah  area to attend Smith Stearns when she was just eleven years old. She decided that she loved tennis and wanted to focus on that exclusively, giving up basketball and softball. After meeting Billy Stearns, she felt that Smith Stearns was the right place for her to achieve her tennis goals and gain a college scholarship. Smith Stearns … read more

- Students Shine at Bullfrog, Aquafina Thornblade, and SC State Open

March has been a busy month of tournaments for our students and they have been having some awesome results!!! In the past few weeks they have competed at the Aquafina Thornblade, Bullfrog Designated, SC State Open, and the Family Circle Cup. We are so excited for them and proud of all of their accomplishments!   In the Aquafina Thornblade Southern Level 3 Tournament in Greer, South Carolina held March 17-18, Jack Kelly won the Boys 12 and under title and Sydnee … read more

- Schafer Places 6th at Spring Nationals

Andrew Schafer had one of the best tournaments of his career this past week when he finished in 6th place at the USTA National Spring Championships in the boys 18 and under division.  The tournament was held in Mobile, Alabama from March 11-17, 2012.     Schafer advanced to the round of 16 before losing to #1 seeded Hiltzik. In the backdraw he won four straight matches beating the #9, #12, and #13 seeds.     Congrats to Andrew for … read more