Girls tennis: Lisa Reynolds gets 500th career win as Highland sweeps Copley

GRANGER TWP. — When Lisa Reynolds took over the Highland girls tennis program in the fall of 2003 and the boys team the following spring, the Hornets didn't have tennis courts at the school and there was no youth program in place. Highland now has both and Reynolds has 500 career victories, that coming Monday when the Hornets (5-1, 2-0) recorded a 5-0 Suburban League American Conference win over vastly improved Copley (4-3, 0-1). "That's crazy," said senior second singles player Claire Schlak, the only fourth-year varsity player on the team. Now 271-128 with the girls team and 229-117 with the boys for an overall mark of 500-245, Reynolds has been named Gazette Coach of the Year 11 times in the fall and on five occasions in the spring. The girls team has compiled a winning record in 16 of the previous 17 seasons and is on pace to make it 17-of-18. In Reynolds' tenure, the Highland girls have won nine straight SL American titles and 10 SL crowns overall, while the boys team won its first league crown, under any coach, when it captured the SL American in the spring. Reynolds' success was not immediate. Over her first six seasons with the girls program, the Hornets were 42-56 and finished over .500 just twice, both times by one win. The latter, in 2008, began a string of seven straight winning seasons. Since going 5-12 in 2015, the Highland girls are 146-33, so the Hornets have definitely come a long way in Reynolds' 23 seasons in charge. "There was no youth program here and we didn't have courts," Reynolds said of her early years. "My first priority was to find us a home." For a number of years, that was Paramount Tennis Club in Granger Township. At the same time, Reynolds started holding month-long summer camps with Medina girls coach Pete Hoffmann, now in his 21st season. Slowly but surely the Hornets became a top-tier program. The better Highland got, the earlier some kids started taking up tennis, which continued to build the tradition. "The dedication we have to practice out of season really brings our wins home," junior first singles player Lily Hantz said. "Coach Reynolds motivates us to do better in season and out." Schlak, a three-time All-Gazette pick and Division I state doubles qualifier in 2024, started playing tennis at the age of 3 and began taking lessons at 4. Hantz played for a week when she was 6, hated it and then got rejuvenated at age 12, when she picked up a racket again and immediately started taking lessons. "The competitiveness of making the varsity 'A' team is a motivator," Reynolds said. "It makes them work harder in the offseason." Senior third singles player Sarah Kelly, who is in her first season on the varsity, is a perfect example. A year ago, when she would have played singles for every other team in Medina County, Kelly was the top player on a varsity "B" team that went 17-0 and defeated a number of varsity programs. "I did the camps in middle school, so I've known about it for a while," she said of Highland's tennis prowess. "Obviously you want to be on varsity, but you know we have a good team. You have to earn and find your spot. You know you have good friends no matter what, and I had a lot of good friends on the varsity the last few years. They were all good role models in their own way." A fairly understated coach who doesn't talk just to talk, Reynolds has been blessed with great assistants, including Tony Sgambati and Elizabeth Hadler in previous years. These days she leans on people like Lisa Boucher, Josh Bertolone, Ty Damon and Josh Hadler, and she isn't afraid to let any of them offer advice to players. "She cares about her players equally and is always there when we need to talk," Hantz said. "When we get in our heads, she calms us down. The past players have shown how strong Highland is, so it motivates us to keep it going." It's still going, as Highland is favored to win its 10th straight SL American girls title despite losing five of its seven varsity regulars from the previous season. That's because Hantz, a third-year varsity player, and Schlak have assumed leadership roles and varsity newcomers Kelly, Ava Tople, Alyssa Boucher, Elise Mancini and Vanessa Demming, all juniors or seniors, have played like veterans because of the experience they got on the "B" team. The constant has been the 57-year-old Reynolds, who has sent seven singles players or doubles teams to the girls state tournament and five singles players or doubles teams to state with the boys program. A year ago, the Highland girls joined 1988 Medina as the only county teams to reach the state semifinals of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Tournament, doing so in Division I. "She's very positive," said Schlak, who grew up watching Emily Hadler and Elijah Hadler excel for the Hornets. "She knows how to motivate and how to pick on other players' weaknesses. 'You know how to hit. You know how to do it. Play your game.' She says that a lot." Having gotten a late start teaching because she was raising her own kids, Reynolds has three years until she can retire. She has a supplemental contract to lead the boys team in the spring and then will evaluate her coaching future, but both programs will be in solid shape when the Hornets begin competing in the much tougher SL National next school year. "When you get to the state level, the first time you're just taking it all in and trying to learn the lay of the land," Reynolds said. "Once you start to get there consistently, you know what to expect. It helps you be a better coach to them, and we've got a legacy of doing that now. "The relationships you build with these kids are the best part. You keep in touch with them as adults on social media, and some of them even come back and hit with us. Those relationships are unbelievable." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Highland 5, Copley 0 Singles — Lily Hantz (H) d. Grace Renner, 6-2, 6-0; Claire Schlak (H) d. Rebekah Ashby, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Sarah Kelly (H) d. Misha Reyes, 6-2, 6-2. Doubles — Ava Tople/Alyssa Boucher (H) d. Ara Larrauri/Harper Wagner, 6-3, 6-0; Elise Mancini/Vanessa Demming (H) d. Harper Johnson/Mallory Schmid, 6-1, 6-4. Records — Copley (4-3, 0-1), Highland (5-1, 2-0).