Geneva's Einck ready to take final swings at state

It can get lonely sometimes when you play in singles competition on a high school tennis team.

There is no partner nearby to help erase the memories of a poorly struck shot or to offer a congratulatory high-five after hitting a baseline winner.

Geneva's Kirby Einck has played at the No. 1 singles position throughout her high school career.

However, she has never really been alone on the court.

Einck, who will be making her fourth consecutive trip to the Illinois High School Association state tournament Thursday at various sites throughout the northern suburbs, has enjoyed the benefit of playing under the watchful eye of her mom Karen, who also serves as a Geneva assistant coach.

"I don't know how I could do it without her," said Kirby, who captured her first sectional title with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Kaneland senior Sammie Schrepferman last Saturday at St. Charles East. "She has been awesome."

While Kirby admits she hasn't always been the most accommodating listener at times, she recognizes the calming influence her mom has provided the past 4 years from the other side of the spectator fence.

"I come up to the fence sometimes not so nice you could say but she puts up with it," said Kirby.

Surprisingly, Kirby receives more emotional support than tactical advice from her mom.

"Honestly, she just supplies me with confidence," said Kirby, who has compiled a 9-5 record during her 3 previous state tournament appearances. "She'll tell me, 'you just need to relax and play your game.' Sometimes she'll give me tips but she knows that I know what I'm doing.

"It's awesome to have a coach for not just me but the whole team who has years of playing and coaching experience. She's a huge factor why we've had so much success."

Karen Einck comes from a tennis background, having played in high school in Tennessee before her family moved to Illinois and she received a full ride scholarship to play tennis at Northern Illinois University.

Kirby caught the bug for the sport at a young age when she tagged along with her mom, who has been a teaching professional for more than 20 years.

"She was on the court with me as a 4-year-old in a ballerina-like outfit," recalled Karen. "She also played basketball, soccer and volleyball growing up but she got hooked on tennis."

While Karen's first 2 children, Connor and Quinn, played football at Geneva, Kirby stuck with tennis.

"Early on, you could tell she had good hand-eye coordination with good balance and footwork," said Karen. "She's the best natural athlete of the three."

Kirby, who compiled an 82-19 record during her first 3 years at Geneva and surpassed the 100-win mark earlier this season, has been a top-50 ranked USTA Midwest singles player since she was 12 years old.

The mother/coach-daughter/player relationship has grown stronger throughout the years.

"It's hard to separate sometimes but we've been doing it for four years," said Kirby. "It was a little rough at the beginning but now we've got it down."

"I turned her over to another teaching pro when she was 10 or 11 years old in order to preserve the mother-daughter relationship," said Karen, who re-entered the coaching picture when Kirby started high school.

Kirby has become a great leader during her high school career.

"It has been a fantastic four years with Kirby," said Geneva head coach Maureen Weiler. "It has been great to see her mature as a person and as a player.

"She's a great person to be on the court even playing against. She's always polite and gracious."

Simply put, Kirby plays tennis the right way - without any huge outbursts or racket throwing.

"She plays her heart our and loves the game," said Weiler. "I've really been fortunate to be able to coach her. She's just one of those dream players as a coach. She matured and got better every year - that's what you hope. She is the complete package."

Kirby plans to attend West Point next fall, where she'll also play tennis.

"It's going to be tough but there are going to be endless opportunities," said Kirby, who plans to major in life sciences at Army. "It's a school that fits my personality."

First things first, Kirby will take on all state challengers this weekend.

"If I get a good seed, that's awesome but I'm just going to go out there and try to do one better than I did last year," said Kirby, who did receive a 17-32 seed and won 4 of 6 state matches last season. "State is always tough but it's fun."

Kirby's only 2 losses this season have come against defending state champion Tiffany Chen of Naperville Central.

No matter what happens this weekend, Kirby has made her presence felt at Geneva.

"It has been a great high school career," she said. "I don't think I could ask for a better four years."

Her mom concurs.

"It has been a joy to watch her," said Karen. "I'll remember how she has grown up the last four years from an insecure player with the weight of playing number one singles as a freshman to now embracing the role as a senior.

"It has been quite a ride," added Karen. "I thank her all the time."

You can reach Craig Brueske at csb4k@hotmail.com