In just her freshman year at La Jolla High School, Alanna Sweeney has already collected some serious accolades in girls tennis.
Though she fell short of a CIF San Diego Section individual title, Sweeney’s rookie year saw her become the Western League singles champion, play to a 22-2 conference record, earn a sportsmanship award and finish the season on the all-CIF first team.
Sweeney’s individual league title came by winning one closely contested set and another that was more convincing.
After leading 2-0 in the first set, Sweeney fell into a three-point deficit.
“I thought it was going really easy, so I took my foot off the gas pedal,” Sweeney said. “And then I was down 5-2. Then I just had to lock in. I regained my focus and went back to thinking how I was up 2-0 before.”
From there, Sweeney turned it around for a 7-5 win. In the second set, she rolled 6-0.
Sweeney noted some key differences between the league round and the section tournament, where she lost in the semifinals this month. Notably, she said, the Western featured matches where she could gauge her opponents’ strategies and weaknesses.
“Knowing how your opponent is going to play really helps you,” Sweeney said. “Because then you know what you’re getting yourself into. If you don’t know who you’re playing, then anything can happen.
“During the semis, the levels are so much higher. I’m playing against really good competitors and they’re just as hungry to win the title as I am. The matches are so much … tighter.”
Sweeney has played tennis for a decade and hopes to continue into her college years at a Division I school.
One reason she’s drawn to tennis is that it’s a solo sport, she said.
“I feel … there’s so much pressure playing in team sports and I feel like I’m going to let my team down or something,” Sweeney said. “But with tennis, it’s independent. I’m on the court alone and I control everything. I control how well I do and how hard I work to win.”
Girls tennis coach Charlie Recksieck praised Sweeney’s abilities at such a young age.
“You kind of forget she’s so young because she’s so accomplished,” Recksieck said. “You can almost just watch her play and say … she’s a senior and going to be looking at colleges. … She really is that good.
“Her game is terrific and she still loves playing. So the sky’s the limit tennis-wise. She’s got every shot in her bag.”
Recksieck and assistant coach Phifer Crute added that Sweeney is a great teammate.
“Some players who are as good as her … you can see them being a prima donna,” Recksieck said. “But she’s not at all. She just made friends with everybody on the team.”
Boys head coach Jack Kruger is similarly impressed with Sweeney.
“She’s light years ahead,” Kruger said. “She basically plays an adult game at age 14. She’s got many different gears in her game where she can chip the ball and then she can come over it and get a really heavy topspin.”
“She loves the game,” he added. “If she continues to play, she’s going to do great things. And the most important thing is she’s very, very coachable. She listens and she’s happy. Her parents have done a great job raising her.”
La Jolla Athlete of the Week features athletes from all sports in high school (La Jolla High, The Bishop’s School, La Jolla Country Day School) and other local youth sports. We’re looking not only for the stars of competition but also for student-athletes who set an example for teamwork, academic achievement and/or community involvement. Please email your nominations, and a way to reach your nominees, to Editor Rob Vardon at robert.vardon@lajollalight.com. ♦