- End of School Year Recap; Start to a Great Summer

What an awesome school year this has been! Our students have posted excellent results winning titles at ITF, National, Sectional, and State tournaments. A special thanks goes to our coaching staff who dedicate themselves every day to helping each student become a better player and person. Their influence is seen in every student’s success story.   Summer camp is quickly approaching and will be here before we know it (May 27th). But before we start the summer let’s take a … 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

- 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

- January Update – Students Win Titles at Regional Segment

The first month of the new year has already been a busy one with students traveling all around to play in various tournaments. Just this past weekend, the academy saw five students win titles at the USTA Regional Segments in Mobile and Norcross. It was a great way to get out on the competitive court and start the new year with a bang!   Harrison O’Keefe won the boy’s 18 and under division in Mobile and was a finalist in … read more

- Drake Earns Silver & Bronze Balls at Winter Nationals

Hampton Drake capped off an excellent year in his junior career by winning two more USTA balls by placing 2nd in singles and 3rd in doubles at the USTA Winter National Championships held December 27th through January 2nd in Scottsdale, Arizona.   Playing some of his best tennis, Hampton breezed by #9 seeded Xavier Gonzalez in the round of 16, 6-0,6-2, then followed that up with a convincing win over the #4 seed J.T. Nishimura, 6-1,6-1. In the semifinals he … read more

- SS Students Shine at SC Junior Championships

Smith Stearns students had a great tournament at the SC State Junior Open held November 30 through December 3 at the Citadel in Charleston.   Julie Clark was a finalist in the girls 18 and under division, while Liz Williams was a singles and doubles finalist (w/Katie Rankin) in the girls 16’s.   Grace Kennedy placed 3rd in the girls 12’s and Kate Christensen placed 3rd in the girls 18’s and won the doubles in the girls 16’s.   Other … read more