Edwardsville High School star tennis player Callaghan Adams is a winner on and off the court.
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At the conclusion of the regular season, in four years Adams amassed 160 wins, an astronomical figure. She has been the Tigers’ No. 1 girls tennis player since she was a freshman. She is also a good student, humble and a positive role model and leader to all the girls on the Edwardsville tennis team.
“It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman and it was pretty cool to come in and be No. 1,” she said. “I had a lot of senior leaders to look up to then, now I am a senior. It is weird how time has flown by.”
Adams is being recruited by several Division I schools and has narrowed her list down, but not made a definite choice. She has made the decision to wait until the tennis season ends before announcing where she will attend college next year.
Edwardsville tennis coach Dave Lipe said Adams has done an “incredible job” as a leader and she cares a lot about the EHS tennis program.
“She is a real team player,” he said. “There are good players, but some don’t want to be part of a team, but she is a definite team player. Callaghan is a dynamic athlete and does many things. She probably could have played just about any sport she wanted, but I am glad she chose tennis. She played a lot of other sports growing up, but in high school she chose tennis.
“I think a big part of Callaghan’s success is she thinks of herself as a tennis player and is very focused on her tennis career. She is hungry to improve as an athlete and has put the time off the court to be a Division I player. She has a lot of interest from several Division I schools.”
The all-time Edwardsville girls’ tennis record prior to this season for wins was 153 by Lindsay Anderson. Adams said it was “awesome” when she broke the record. She admitted it was one of her goals going into the season.
“My grandpa Jerry kept watching my wins and telling me how I was doing so I wouldn’t forget,” Adams said about the record. “He and my grandma, Judy, are at every home match and go on the road sometimes. My grandpa sits in the same place every time for my matches.”
She thanked her grandparents, siblings and parents for their constant support of her tennis career.
“My mom, Cathi, and dad, Marty, have been so supportive,” she said. “My mom has traveled with me to a lot of my meets and that has meant a lot. I have a brother and sister and they also always support me.
Callaghan took the big step into tennis when she was in first or second grade with the Edwardsville YMCA tennis program. Coach Lipe had her come out for the Tiger Tennis camps and she then went to the Edwardsville Tennis Academy. Eventually, she decided to give up basketball, soccer and volleyball to concentrate on tennis and is not a decision she regrets.”
The EHS No. 1 tennis player said Lipe and her private coach Bob Meyers have helped her more than she could ever say.
“I work with Bob Meyers in the off season and he has developed my game to where I never thought was possible,” she said. “I am pretty competitive and Coach Lipe and the other coaches have helped me an extreme amount. Coach Lipe keeps the tennis program going and not many teams get to go to Chicago or make the road trips to play the competition we get to do. The facility is amazing; I am very fortunate to have played here and attended school in the Edwardsville system. I love Edwardsville.”
She sees Coach Lipe as a positive role model for not just her, but everyone else on the team because he puts his heart and soul into his work.
She hopes to return from college during summers and work for Lipe at his various camps and tennis programs.
Callaghan hopes tennis will always be part of her life.
“I hope to play tennis the rest of my life and I believe I will if all goes as planned,” she said. “I love being out on the court. I also give lessons and I love to see the younger kids develop.”
