EFFINGHAM — Mia Kinkelaar and Ellie Link are the 2024 Effingham Daily News Girls Tennis Doubles Team of the Year.
St. Anthony’s junior duo had a spectacular fall season, going 35-12, winning the Mt. Zion Sectional doubles championship and finishing 4-2 at the Class 1A state tournament. Kinkelaar and Link defeated Mahomet-Seymour, Bethalto (Civic Memorial), Glen Carbon (Father McGivney) and Teutopolis junior duo Adi Davison and Anna Probst. They lost to Chicago (University) before losing to Father McGivney in the consolation bracket.
Head coach Darlene Esker was impressed with the duo’s attitude throughout the year.
“They were very coachable,” Esker said. “If I saw something that I thought would improve their game and I had them try it, they would always try it. Most of the time, it worked; sometimes, it didn’t work, but they still tried it. They were always up for suggestions.”
Becoming a great doubles team wasn’t an overnight feat.
The two have worked endlessly to get to the level they’re at.
“They know each other’s moves,” Esker said. “They know each other’s strengths and I think that when you’re playing with somebody, you have to know what they can do and how much you can depend on them in every situation. I think they did that for the most part.”
Kinkelaar and Link have the desire to win, too.
“They want to win,” Esker said. “They never give up. They have come back from being almost out of the match to winning it. I think the pressure they put on themselves is their ‘want’ to win. If they don’t win, they know the other team is strong.”
Though boasting a 93-40 record over three years, Esker knows there is more to accomplish.
That starts at the net.
“They’re both really good baseline players, but I want them to be more aggressive at the net and more surprising at the net,” Esker said. “Right now, if it’s at the net, it’s hit it hard and put it away. You’ll get more points if you barely drop that over than if you hit it hard. It’s mixing it up. We’ll be working on being more aggressive at the net and making smarter hits when we’re at the net.”
The duo was asked a series of questions. Below is how they responded.
AW: What got you into tennis and why do you love playing it?
MK: “As a kid, I was introduced to tennis by going to camps in the summer. I love playing the sport. It’s so fun and brings out my competitiveness. Playing doubles with one of my best friends, Ellie, and having so many of my other close friends on the team makes me love the game even more. My dad has also been a big part of my tennis journey — along with my awesome coaches. We started playing against each other when I was in eighth grade. It took me two years to finally beat him. When I did, we both had tears.”
EL: “Before eighth grade, I had always played other sports, but some of my friends played tennis and I wanted to try it. I went to some open courts with ‘Dar’ that summer and loved learning the sport. I love the strategy involved in tennis and how something is always happening. I love getting to play with my friends and improving every practice.”
AW: Talk about your season and what you did well. What can you work on?
MK: “For my junior year, I had a singles record of 10-2 and a doubles record of 35-12. Ellie and I were sectional champions and made Day 3 at state. We also beat several big schools when playing in our weekend tournaments. These tournaments have a high level of competition, which has helped us keep improving. We’re usually the underdogs on weekend play, so it’s fun to surprise our opponents. My jump serve is definitely something that needs improvement for my senior season.”
EL: “This year was really exciting for Mia and me. We played some tough competition in tournaments on the weekends and that helped us the further we got. Over the past three years, Mia and I have been a great team because we’ve learned to trust and understand each other. We each know how we play and work well together. Something that I’ve been working on and will continue working on is my serve. Over the last season, it has improved but still needs some work.”
AW: What is your biggest strength as a tennis player?
MK: “Overall, my biggest strength is my mental toughness. I’ve learned to take one point at a time and to never give up on the end goal — the win. In doubles, Ellie and I’s biggest strength is our chemistry. We work so well together, having played for three years as doubles partners and been close friends since kindergarten.”
EL: “My biggest strength in doubles is my net play. It’s where I’m the most comfortable and confident and where I have the most fun.”
AW: What have you learned over the last year?
MK: “I have learned to be resilient because momentum can quickly change in this sport.”
EL: “This past season, I’ve learned to stay patient with myself. Some matches won’t go exactly how I want them to; some days, I won’t play as well as others, and I can’t control that, but I can control how I react. Staying calm and focusing on the current moment is the best thing I can do.”