- Senior Spotlight: Kelly Dodd

Hometown: Greenwich, Connecticut College Commitment: Villanova University   Kelly came to the academy and moved into housing four years ago to pursue her tennis in a much warmer environment than what she was used to. Coming from Greenwich it was nice for her to see the sunshine and play outside in the winter months. From day one, Kelly’s personality matched that of the weather as she was always so warm and outgoing to everyone. She was our ray of sunshine … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Hayley Carter

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina College Commitment: University of North Carolina   Hayley came to Smith Stearns as a talented ten year old player looking to see what the tennis world had in store for her.  After visiting for a month in the summer at a recommendation from one of her closest friends, she fell in love with the academy and her family decided to make Hilton Head their new home. After seven years, Hayley will be leaving us but will … read more

- Senior Spotlight: Colby Burke

Hometown: Winchester, Massachusetts College Commitment: Bucknell University   The first time Colby played tennis at Smith Stearns was during the summer when he was just 8 years old. We have been fortunate to watch Colby grow up over the years into a fine young man that is sure to succeed in all areas to his life. Colby credits the coaches for pushing him to work hard every day, as that is a quality he will take with him for the … read more

- Shulman Wins North Hills Championship

    Smith Stearns students competed at the North Hills Junior Championships (SL3)  in Raleigh, North Carolina from April 6th through 7th.   Ariel Shulman had a fantastic tournament dominating the white draw in the girls 16 and under division. In the quarterfinals she knocked off top seeded Savannah Taranto 6-3,6-1, then defeated Anna Harmon 6-2, 6-4. In the final match she battled to beat #2 seed Morgan Ingram 6-4,6-4 to win the title.           Other … read more

- Burak Wins Columbus Bullfrog; Jackson Makes Finals

  Smith Stearns students had an impressive tournament at the Bullfrog Designated in Columbus, Georgia, held March 29th through April 1st.     Allie Burak dominated the girls 16 and under event winning all of her matches in straight sets. In the championship match she came back from a 5-0 deficit in the first set to defeat #1 seed Suzanne Zendoni 7-6, 6-1. It took a lot of determination to reverse the first set score but Allie fought hard and decided … read more

- Pegula Earns First WTA Wins

Congratulations to former Smith Stearns student Jessie Pegula for scoring the two biggest wins of her pro career to date. After winning two matches to qualify, Jessie won her first maindraw WTA match ever at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston defeating Garbine Muguruza of Spain, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-5. She then beat the 23rd ranked player in the world and 8th seeded Mona Barthel from Germany, 7-6 (4), 6-1. In the round of 16 she lost to eventual finalist, … read more

- March Update; Loeb Wins Three Titles

March has been one busy month with our students playing in a lot of tournaments and having some fantastic results! We had students play the Norcross and Macon Bullfrog, the Blue Gray Junior Championships, the Lexington County Championships, the Greensboro March Madness, the Topspin Championships, the USTA Spring Nationals, the Aquafina Championships, the Family Circle Cup, and other tournaments in each students USTA Section.   Robert Loeb played some great tennis in March and definitely earned the title of “student … read more

- Carter Earns Wild Card into Family Circle Cup; Mid-February Update

Hayley Carter won the 2013 Dunlop Junior Championships held February 16th and 17th in Daniel Island, South Carolina. The southern level 3 event doubles as a wild card tournament for the girls 18 and under, with the winner earning a qualifying wildcard into the WTA’s Family Circle Cup.   The tournament always has a strong field as all the girls are fighting for that one wild card spot. Hayley beat three top players all on Sunday (due to the rain), … read more

- Smith Stearns Goes to Davis Cup

      Over the weekend of February 1st and 2nd, we took a large group of over 40 of our academy students to go watch the Davis Cup match in Jacksonville. The match, USA vs. Brazil, featured our top American players John Isner, Sam Querrey, and the Bryan Brothers.                     On Friday, we got to watch John Isner and Sam Querrey both collect victories over their opponents. After the match, … read more

- Former Students Shine at ITA National Team Indoors

The final of the 2013 ITA National Indoor Championships held in Charlottesville, Virginia on February 11th was surely one to remember. The University of North Carolina and UCLA fought it out until the end, with the championship ultimately decided by just two points in the third set tiebreaker of a match between UNC’s Whitney Kay and UCLA’s Pamela Montez.   UNC’s Kay, a freshman and a former student at Smith Stearns clinched the victory with a forehand winner to take … read more