SPASH singles trio stands apart

STEVENS POINT - There is a distinct pecking order to the top three singles positions in the Stevens Point Area Senior High lineup.

Senior Emily Luetschwager has held down the No. 1 spot for the past three-plus years and for good reason. Not only is she unquestionably the top player at the school, Luetschwager has ranked among the best in the state during her prep career.

Sabrina Tang crashed onto the state tennis scene last season as a freshman with an electric brand of tennis that complemented her elder teammate perfectly. She fit right into the No. 2 singles position and Tang has no intention of giving it up.

Next up is Kayla Stutesman, the singles player turned doubles partner for two seasons who has returned to her comfort zone of singles to clearly establish herself in the No. 3 spot in the singles lineup for SPASH.

RELATED:SPASH girls tennis program making a point

RELATED:Luetschwager brings home state tennis title

It's a singles lineup that works extremely well with dominant results, giving the Panthers something extraordinary this season.

"I definitely think it makes for a good practice environment," said Luetschwager, who returns for her senior season as the defending Division 1 state champion. "Whether we're playing singles or doubles, we bring the best out of each other no matter what the score might say (when we play against each other). It still makes us each better."

That's a scary thought for the competition the rest of this season. A strong argument can be made the three-headed singles monster of Luetschwager, Tang and Stutesman might be as strong as any top three singles lineup in the state.

Each of them is content with her role on the team. All three are willing to do whatever it takes to help the Panthers put the best lineup on the court in order to reach the ultimate goal — a trip to team state.

"I think on any given day, with the possible exception of Homestead, they are the top three singles players on a team in the state," SPASH coach Gary Baier said. "Without a doubt they make me look good as a coach. My job is just not to mess them up.

"To have the talent level we have, especially in central Wisconsin, and to have 15 kids who could play at the varsity level anywhere, is ridiculous."

Winning matches is one thing. Luetschwager and Tang enter the week with identical 19-0 records at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. Stutesman suffered a couple hiccups at the Brookfield East Invitational on Sept. 10 to leave her record at an impressive 17-2.

These three aren't content with just winning their matches, however. All three are driven to make things as easy as possible on themselves each match, and that means scorelines of 6-0, 6-0 or 6-1, 6-1 are commonplace.

It's all part of some friendly competition among Tang, Stutesman and Luetschwager.

"We're definitely always competitive between the three of us. When we're out there all winning our matches we see who can get off the court first. It's more for fun bragging rights," said Luetschwager, who likes to set the tone at the No. 1 position. "I think our (singles lineup) is a special thing not many teams in the state can say they have."

In Luetschwager and Tang, the Panthers coach feels he has two of the top 10 or 15 singles players in the state. Baier also is convinced Stutesman would be the No. 1 singles players on a vast majority of high school teams in Wisconsin.

"I think for the most part, we have four locks in singles every match," said Baier, whose team is ranked No. 6 in Division 1 in the most recent tennisreporting.com poll. "We're very, very fortunate to have a lot of talent at the same time."

Any singles lineup that begins with the reigning Division 1 state champion Luetschwager, a senior who has not dropped a set in high school competition since the start of her junior season, already has a huge leg up on the competition. She owned a 110-5 career record through Sept. 11.

All three bring a little something unique to the court.

Luetschwager, a three-time state qualifier, has continued to build on her steady consistent style while becoming strong and smarter over her career. In some respects, Tang is the polar opposite, hitting out on every groundstrokes and going for winners whenever possible.

Stutesman, who played singles as a freshman before qualifying for state in doubles each of the past two seasons in an unselfish move to help the team, combines an ability to be steady while also attacking when the moment calls for more aggression.

"Our games vary a lot," Tang said. "We're all very competitive and we're all really hard workers. During matches and during practice we expect the best from each other, but we're always there from one another to pick each other up when someone is not doing too well."

Opposing teams, especially in central Wisconsin, have already shown they want nothing to do with SPASH's murderer's row, and the fourth part of the singles equation is pretty menacing in her own right. Baier said freshman Leah Olson, who holds the No. 4 position, has a bright future ahead.

Early in the Wisconsin Valley Conference dual meet season, Baier has seen teams move their top two singles players to doubles in an effort to avoid having to deal with Luetschwager or Tang.

All each of the three can do is go out on the court and take care of business no matter who is on the other side of the net. So far, so good. There is no reason to believe anyone will be slowing down the singles juggernaut any time soon.

"Against the best teams in the state, I really feel confident we can win all four singles matches," Baier said.

Scott A. Williams can be reached at 715-345-2282, or by email at ssswilliam@stevenspoint.gannett.com. Find him on Twitter as @SPJScottWill