Oakton's Lee a steady hand
By Jason Devaney
Confidence. Determination. Self-discipline. These are three qualities that every tennis player – every good tennis player – must possess in order to find success.Oakton senior Sophia Lee fits that description.
Case in point: On April 16, Oakton was playing at Robinson and Lee found herself trailing, 9-4. Five games down. Her opponent needed just one more win to clinch the match. But Lee, the Cougars' No. 2 player, did not panic. She did not let the pressure and the despair of being behind change the way she plays.
"As soon as she got to nine, you're in that zone where she wins one more game and you're done," Lee said during last Friday's match with Centreville. "The best thing to do is to block any sound and try to keep loose. I just block everyone out except myself. It's very hard."
Lee did something right that day, as she climbed out of the hole, evened the score at 10, and won the match on a tiebreaker. She improved to 10-0 after dispatching her Centreville opponent Friday, and has played a crucial role in Oakton's breakout season. The Cougars are 9-1 and have a chance to win the Concorde District title for the first time since 1997 – and make the Northern Region tournament for the first time since 2001.
"She truly believes in herself, and I think that's hard to do when you're playing singles all by yourself," Oakton coach Coleen Mihalko said. "When she was losing to that girl, 9-4, after almost two and a half hours, most people would say, 'Well, this is hopeless.' She never thought that. She never ever gives up. I've never seen that determination."
Lee will attend the University of Virginia in the fall and although she will not play on the tennis team, her focus has switched to academics. She plans to enroll in medical school after getting her undergraduate degree.
During Lee's match Friday, it was evident that she is a focused player with a strict game plan. She does not press for points or rely on a heavy topspin shot down the line to win a point. She is steady and consistent, and has an effective backhand that she seemed to almost favor over her her forehand.
"Most of my games, I try to stay pretty consistent," Lee admitted. "That's my game plan. There are times when I want to hit clean winners, but that little thing on the top of my head is telling me, 'No. Just keep it going and win the point to make sure you can get it done.'"
Oakton's No. 1 player, senior Jamie Kauffman, also won her match against Centreville. Kauffman and her big forehand took a 5-2 lead early in the match, but her opponent clawed back and eventually forced a tiebreaker. Kauffman then won the extra session, 7-2, for the victory. Jolene Nguyen (No. 5 singles) and Jessica O'Connor (No. 6) also won their respective matches, and all three doubles teams triumphed.
"A lot of these girls are very driven," Mihalko said. "They're driven in the classroom, evidenced by where they're going to school, and it carries over to the tennis courts."
Nguyen will join Lee at UVA next year, Lina Yeh will attend William and Mary and Kauffman is going to Elon University.
"I think you motivate them, you inspire them, tell them your personal stories," Mihalko said. "I said to Sophia [after her comeback at Robinson], 'You will remember this day years from now. You came back and nothing will be as hard as that was.' I tried to make it a life lesson."