O'FALLON – The 2021 Southwestern Conference girls high school tennis season was one of the most evenly contested years in IHSA history. Three teams sat atop the number one standing going into the conference tournament. O’Fallon High School beat Edwardsville High School, Edwardsville beat Belleville East High School, and O’Fallon lost to Belleville East. Each win would get one of three schools closer to the coveted number one spot.
Despite first-place finishes by Maya Hataway and Joanna Cullen at three doubles, Maya Hataway at five singles, Paisley Struewing at four singles, and Brodie Rauch at three singles, the Lancers would fall short to the Tigers' 53 points to 57 at the end of the tournament.
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The top three conference singles flights played at O’Fallon High School. The only player not from Edwardsville to claim first place was senior and Belleville East’s number three singles player, Brodie Rauch. Rauch would top Edwardsville’s three singles players by a final score of 6-3, 4-6, 10-6.
When asked how it felt to win her conference flight for her senior year, Rauch said, “It felt good! I feel like I worked hard to win, and I played better today than I did yesterday. I am excited to win not only for me but also for my teammates. I think I played a big role for our team knowing that I got that point for winning.”
Rauch’s championship performance was not just because she had a strong week, but only because she had a strong year. “My performance during the regular season helped me because I got the number one seed," Rauch said. “Being the number one seed gave me confidence because I got a better draw. I also think my mental game and ability to stay focused helped me.”
Moving forward to sectionals, Rauch wants to focus less on wins or losses and more on her mental game and keeping the game fun. When asked how Lancers number three felt going into the sectional tournament, she said, “my mentality is really good to go into sectionals. I’m pretty sure I am playing double, so I am excited for that because my game is pretty good right now," Rauch said. “I just want to keep it fun. Win or lose, I know I had a good season, but I know we can make it to state.”
The senior and conference champion when asked if she knew what tennis held in store for her after school, she said, “I’m not sure yet. I did get accepted in Webster University, so I am looking at playing for them!”
No matter what Rauch chooses to do after high school, she has left a positive impact on the Belleville East Lancers tennis team.
