As the ball dropped and 2017 came to a close its worth reminiscing on the 2017 Smith Stearns students produced. The year saw them take home four Gold Balls, eight Silver Balls, and two Bronze Balls at 2017 Super Nationals.

Joining other alumni who have qualified for the post-season in college tennis with their respective teams, four  former students of the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina were selected to the Division I singles and doubles championships Wednesday evening. Three of the four participants received seedings in their championship garnering them All-American honors. The NCAA Division I singles and doubles championships will take place May 24-29 at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, … read more

Players from Smith Stearns Tennis Academy were able to take home 5 of 8 championships in the 16& under and 18& under age divisions.   2017 got off to a hot start for several Smith Stearns students as they competed in the Southern Section’s first Level 1 tournament of the year–taking home five of the eight championships awarded in the top two age divisions.   The girls and boys 16& under tournaments were hosted at the beautiful new Rome Tennis … read more

Students of Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy brought home the title 12 times at USTA National Tournaments, 8 times in ITF tournaments and 77 times at the Sectional level.   2016 proved to be a year where the students and coaches of Smith Stearns Tennis Academy saw their hard work on the court and in the gym come to fruition. Players were able to take home the singles or doubles title in an astounding 97 tournaments–12 at the National level including four … read more

Students of Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy brought home five top-3 finishes including three championships at the 2016 USTA Winter Nationals held in Arizona. When measuring success in the ranks of elite American junior tennis, the hallmark is the coveted Gold Ball a small but important trophy afforded the champions at USTA Super National events. Every year after Christmas and going into the New Year the top American juniors converge in Arizona for the USTA Winter Nationals. The final day of this … read more

Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy student, Vikash Singh, made history at this year’s Metropolia Orange Bowl and Eddie Herr–the two most prestigious 16 & under tournaments in the world.    Vikash Singh has spent the last two years of his life residing on Hilton Head Island training at Smith Stearns Tennis Academy and studying at Heritage Academy where he is a junior with a 4.7 GPA. Hailing from Kolkata, India the 16-year old has gone over a year without seeing his family, … read more

        Last year was a historic year for five former Smith Stearns students who competed in the National Championship Match in Athens, Georgia. Kaitlin Ray and Catherine Harrison were on the UCLA Bruins Championship team that defeated Hayley Carter, Caroline Price, and Whitney Kay of the UNC Tar Heel’s in a hard fought 4-3 win to earn the NCAA title.                   It was a special moment for Smith Stearns … read more

Hampton Drake Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina College Commitment: Clemson University   Hampton has been a member of the academy for the past three years. He moved from Columbia to be in an environment with high level players and top coaches which would be more conducive to helping him become a better player. These factors combined with the hard work that Hampton has put in, proved to be a catalyst for him becoming one of the top players in the nation … read more

Three Smith Stearns students were selected to play in the Southern Junior Cup which was held the past two weekends in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sara McClure (girls 12’s), Catie Meighan (girls 14’s), and Cameron Kriscunas (girls 16’s) represented their home state of South Carolina in the tournament. The Southern Cup is a team competition which selects the top 3 players from each state to compete against the other states in a dual match format which includes singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. … read more

      Over 25 Smith Stearns students participated in the SC Junior State Open, which was held from September 20-23 in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a successful weekend with our students winning a total of 4 singles titles including the boys 14-18’s title and the girls 18’s title.     Kyle Barr has his hands full in the boys 18’s division but fought hard each match and ultimately came out on top. He won his semifinals and final … read more

Smith Stearns students had an opportunity to play a tournament close to home when the VDM Classic was held on Hilton Head from September 13-15. Twenty two of our students competed in the local tournament and they came out with a total of four championship titles. It was a great weekend full of tennis where our students got to play in front of their coaches, friends, and other academy supporters.   Here are some of the highlights from the VDM … read more

    Smith Stearns students participated in the 31st Annual Raleigh Racquet Club Junior Championships held in Raleigh from September 7-8 as well as the Bullfrog Designated held in Little Rock and Memphis from September 6-9.     At the RRC Championships Sara McClure made it all the way to the finals of the girls 12’s singles championship before barely losing her final match in a third set tiebreaker. Ariel Shulman also had a great tournament and made the finals … read more

Labor weekend marked a big tournament weekend for our students as they participated in events all across the country! After two weeks of hard work and training in the school year program many got the opportunity to test their skills against some great competition.   The academy took groups to participate in the Tennessee Open Junior Clay Courts in Knoxville, the Papa John’s Junior Championship in Augusta, and the USTA Regional Segment in Sumter. Student’s also participated in other Regional … read more

What a great summer it has been with our students posting some awesome results at tournaments all over the country! Our students picked up a total of 4 USTA balls at Summer Nationals as well as 3 sportsmanship awards! Check out some of the summers best highlights below:       Harrison O’Keefe – Bronze Ball Boys 18’s Doubles USTA National Clay Courts               Ali DeSpain – Silver Ball  Girls 12’s Doubles USTA National … read more

  Smith Stearns students posted excellent results at the USTA Regional Segments (National Level 3) that were held all across the nation from July 6-8. Many of our students played extremely well and placed in their respective age divisions.         Mariana Gould made the finals of the girls 18’s Southern Open in Birmingham, Alabama, which doubles as a regional segment. The finals was not played due to weather but Mariana won the coin flip for the winner’s … read more

In just his second tournament back, after being sidelined from tournament play for a few months with a wrist injury, Hampton Drake showed he was back on top of his game by capturing the USTA National Open Championships in the boys 18 and under division held July 3-5 in Aston, Pennsylvania.   In his last two matches, Drake beat two top ranked national players in Strong Kirchheimer and Chris Vrabel. In the semifinals Drake outlasted Kirchheimer, in a hard fought … read more

Cameron Kriscunas and Robert Loeb both placed second in doubles at the 16 and under Southern Closed Championship held June 15-21 in Rome, Georgia.   Partnering with McKenna Jones, Kriscunas won five straight matches including a third set tiebreaker win over the 2nd seeds to earn a place in the finals. In the final they lost a closely contested match to Amanda Rebol and Clare Raley, 7-5,6-4. Kriscunas and Jones had also partnered together in May to capture the Palmetto … read more

Andrew Schafer has had a great junior career and now he is continuing his success on the Pro Circuit. This past month he has qualified for two USTA Pro Circuit Events in Vero Beach and Amelia Island.   In the Vero Beach $10,000 Schafer had a win over one of the top ranked junior players in the United States Spencer Papa, who was also ranked as high as #15 in the world this year. Schafer beat Papa 6-4,7-5 and then … read more

  Hayley Carter was the local favorite at the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Event held May 27th-June 2nd at Van der Meer and made it all the way to the final match.   Carter dominated players from the Canada, the United States, France, and Japan all in straight sets to earn a spot in the finals where she lost to Russian Yana Koroleva 7-5,6-4.   She was watched all week by families from the academy and members of the local … read more

        Hayley Carter once again led the way this past week at the Palmetto Championships (SC State Closed) that was held May 24-28, in Belton, South Carolina capturing her 15th and 16th titles respectively. With those wins she goes down in history as one of the the best players to play South Carolina tennis, breaking the record by winning the most SC State Championships. She won the girls 18 and under singles championship by defeating Ansley Speaks, … read more

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

    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

  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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Hampton Drake & Hayley Carter were honored as USTA/South Carolina award winners this month. Hampton received the Boys Player of the Year Award while Hayley was honored with the Wilton McKinney Award.   The annual awards given by USTA South Carolina are intended to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions to tennis. Award winners are chosen based on their accomplishments during the year and are recognized during the USTA SC Annual Meeting presented by the City of Aiken, which was … read more

Jess Jones reached the singles and doubles quarterfinals of the boys 16 and under division of the Orange Bowl International Championship held this past week in Plantation, Florida. The Orange Bowl is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the world as it attracts hundreds of the top international players every year.   Jones defeated a top player from Chile in the first round before taking out top ranked Americans Yancy Dennis and Cameron Klinger. In the quarterfinals he … read more

Carsten Fisher made it to the finals of the boys 16 and under doubles championship at the prestigious Eddie Herr International Tournament held November 23 through December 2 in Bradenton, Florida.   Partnering with Alexander Knight of the United States, the duo beat the 2nd seeded team from Canada and the Netherlands before falling to the 5th seed from Korea in the final match.   This was a fantastic result for Carsten on a big international stage! We congratulate him … read more

Katelyn Jackson won the girls 18 and under championship of the Fall Southern Closed held November 21-25 in Louisville, Kentucky.   As a fifth seed Jackson defeated #1 seeded Kenya Jones in the semifinals 6-2,6-2, before dominating Kirsten Ward in the finals 6-1,6-3.   By winning the Southern Closed Championship, this marks Jackson’s biggest win in the 18’s. She has moved up to #15 in the USTA/Southern Section in the 18 and under division, while still being eligible to play … read more

  Smith Stearns students had more great results at the recent USTA Regional Segments that were held October 27-29 in various places across the country.   At the Norcross Regional Robert Loeb continued to dominate advancing to the finals of the boys 14 and under championship by beating 5th seeded Spencer Brown, 6-4,6-2. In the championship match he lost a hard fought battle to number one seeded Noah Makarome 7-5 in the third set. Loeb also placed 3rd in the … read more

  Hayley Carter dominated the competition winning her second straight title at the ITF Junior Circuit Event held in Columbia, South Carolina from November 3rd-11th. She beat American Mia Horvit in the quarterfinals 6-4,6-1, and Rianna Valdes in the semifinals 6-3,6-1. In the championship match she defeated Kaitlin McCarthy 6-2, 6-4 to claim the title. Lats month, Carter teamed up with partner Brooke Austin to reach the finals of a $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in doubles. Also at the … read more

      Harrison O’Keefe travelled back home to Virginia to compete in the USTA/Mid Atlantic Championship from October 13-15 and came out with the championship trophy. O’Keefe beat Brett Moorhead 6-3,6-3 in the final match to take the title. With the win he will now be the #1 ranked junior in the Boys 18 and under division of the Mid Atlantic Section. Congrats to Harrison for all of his hard work paying off!   PDF Button

Many academy students participated in the two local tournaments that were held this past weekend, October 19-21. The Dennis Van Der Meer Southern Junior Championships was a Southern Level 3 event held on Hilton Head and the Tennis Shop Junior Super Series was a Georgia Level 4 that was held in Savannah. Our students competed hard and once again had some fantastic results!   Following is a list of our champions and finalists:   Dennis Van Der Meer Southern Junior … read more

  Smith Stearns students won numerous titles at the Van der Meer Junior Classic held September 14-16 on Hilton Head Island. A total of 37 Smith Stearns students competed in the event. For some students this was their first tournament of the new semester and it was surely a great way to start off with a bang!   Following is a list of our champions and finalists:   B16 Champion – Sean Sculley B14 Champion – Alex Sklizovic G18 Champion … read more

      Hampton Drake had a fantastic transition into the boys 18 and under division when he captured the title at his first USTA Southern Bullfrog Designated in the 18’s. Drake defeated Christian Garay in the semifinals and Will Showers in the finals to claim the title.   Congrats to Hampton on a successful summer and a great start to the new semester! PDF Button

Mariana Gould captured a gold ball for the second straight year by winning the doubles title at the USTA Girls 16 and under National Championships held August 4-12 in San Diego, California.   Partnering with Kimberly Yee of Las Vegas, Gould and Yee defeated Gabrielle Smith and Olivia Sneed, 6-2,3-6, 7-6(2) to claim the title.  She also made it to the quarterfinals of the singles event.   Fellow Smith Stearns student Hayley Carter won a bronze ball in the Girls … read more

Hampton Drake made it to the finals of doubles at the USTA National Clay Courts in the boys 16 and under division that was held in July in Delray Beach, Florida. He partnered with David Wilczynski  of Richboro, Pennsylvania.  They beat the #4 and #2 seeds to advance to the final round which was not played do to inclement weather. By a coin flip they won the silver balls as trophies, however this is definitely one situation where silver is … read more

Mariana Gould has been having quite the month. After struggling with the aftermath of heat exhaustion in which she had to default the main draw of a pro circuit event earlier in the month, Gould came back strong and has won her last two tournaments.   Originally from Boise, Idaho, Gould travelled back to the Intermountain Section to play the ITA Summer Sectional held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from June 9th-14th. She dominated the tournament losing only seven games … read more

Smith Stearns student Jess Jones dominated the USTA Southern Closed Boys 16 and under Championship held June 16th -23rd in Rome, Georgia, capturing the singles title and making it to the finals of the doubles event.   In the singles event, Jones seeded 5th, beat both the #1 and #2 seeds on his way to the title. In the championship match he defeated #1 seeded Walker Duncan, 7-5,6-4 to claim the championship.   Jones has been playing up in the … read more

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 the 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 … read more

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

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

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

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

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

March has been a busy month for all of our students! Congrats to all of them for their continued success!   CTA Midcourt Cup – Southern Level 3 Jack Kelly – Winner B12 Singles Barbara Rodriguez – Winner G18 Singles Elle Christensen – Winner G12 Singles Morgan McNeal – 4th Place G18 Singles Sydnee Wheeler – 3rd Place G16 Singles Adelaide Lavery – Consolation Finalist G12 Singles   Norcross Bullfrog Designated Hampton Drake – 3rd Place B16 Singles Natalie Kitchen … read more

Congrats to our students for their great results this past weekend at the USTA National Openand the SATA Jr. Winter Classic held in Savannah.   National Open – Augusta – B16 Jess Jones – 3rd Place Singles, Winner Doubles   National Open – Tampa – B&G18 Mariana Gould – 5th Place Singles, 4th Place Doubles Matt Mendez – Quarterfinalist Singles, 4th Place Doubles Andrew Schafer – Quarterfinalist Singles   National Open – Dothan – B14 Robert Loeb – Tied 5th … read more

Sam Smith won the boys 16 and under division of the Wildewod Junior Challenger tournament held in Columbia, South Carolina from February 17-19, 2012. Congrats to Sam for all his hard work paying off! To view Sam’s draw click here. PDF Button

Hayley Carter won the Dunlop Junior Championships this past weekend beating fellow academy student Mariana Gould in a hard fought battle in the final match. Carter won by a score of 6-7 (4), 6-2, 1-0 (5) earning herself a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the WTA tour event, the Family Circle Cup, which will he held on Daniel Island, South Carolina from March 31st – April 1st, 2012. Mariana Gould also had an excellent tournament in which she beat … read more

Our students had more great results this past weekend in Charleston, South Carolina at the HSI Winter Junior Championships!   Congrats to… Jack Kelly – Champion B12 Singles Kate Christensen – Champion G16 Singles Sam Smith – Semifinalist B16 SIngles Morgan McNeal – Consolation Champion G18 Singles Liz Williams – Consolation Champion G14 Singles Elle Christensen – Semifinalist G12 SIngles Sara McClure – Consolation Finalist G12 Singles Kelly/Bo Jenkins – Doubles Champions B12 PDF Button

It was a busy weekend with a lot of students playing in the Bullfrog Designated and the Richland County Junior Championships. We had some great performances! Here are the highlights…   Jackson Bullfrog Carsten Fisher – Champion B16 Singles & 3rd Place Doubles w/ O’Koniewski Ashley Kitchen – Finalist G18 SIngles Jackie Carr – Quarterfinalist G16 Singles Jack O’Koniewski – 3rd Place Doubles w/Fisher   Richland County Junior Championships Sydnee Wheeler – Champion G16 Singles Katelyn Jackson – Champion G18 … read more

With multiple rain delays throughout the weekend the tournament was almost completed. The last day (finals and consolation) was cancelled due to inclement weather. Overall it was a great weekend!   Congrats to…   Mariana Gould – G18 – Singles & Doubles Finalist  w/ Hoch Jackie Carr – G16 – Singles & Doubles Finalist Jess Jones – B16 – Singles & Doubles Finalist w/ Fisher Carsten Fisher – B16 – Singles Quarterfinalist & Doubles Finalist w/ Jones Katie Hoch – … read more

      Shannon O’Brien is the 2011 recipient of the USTA South Carolina Kimberly Hampton Award which honors the junior girl player who made the most significant improvements in her game over the last year. We are so proud of Shannon for all her hard work, as it shows that it truly does pay off! Congrats Shannon!   To read more about Shannon’s award click here. PDF Button

Dasani Mayors Cup – Southern Level 3 – Augusta, Georgia Allie Burak – Champion G16 Jimmy Lange – Consolation Finalist B18 Jack Armistead – Finalist B10 Mary Grace Armistead – Consolation Finalist G10   SC State Junior Open – Rock Hill, South Carolina Liz Williams – Consolation Winner G14 PDF Button

Founded in 2002, by a vision that Stan Smith & Billy Stearns had to create a high level junior tennis academy that focused on individual junior player development, the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy has evolved over the years into the successful academy that it is today. The year 2012, marks the 10 year anniversary of the academy and everyone involved is extremely proud of the accomplishments of all our students and dedicated coaches who have put in countless hours of … read more

December 27-30, 2011 Andrew Schafer – 3rd Place B18 Singles & Doubles Matt Mendez – 3rd Place B18 Doubles with Andrew Schafer Cameron Kriscunas – 3rd Place G14 Doubles PDF Button

December 27 –  January 2, 2012 Hampton Drake – Quarterfinalist B16 Doubles PDF Button

November 28 – December 4, 2011 Andrew Schafer – Finalist B16 Singles Mariana Gould – Quarterfinalist G16 Singles and Semifinalist Doubles   PDF Button