Rosary's Reuland is Beacon-News Player of the Year

Rosary's Emily Reuland is a two-time winner of The Beacon-News Player of the Year award in tennis. Reuland's record in her senior season was 30-3.
(Donnell Collins/For Sun-Times Media)

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The story of Tiger Woods hitting quality golf shots at the age of 2 years old is the stuff of legend.

Emily Reuland may not have started playing tennis that early, but she has essentially been hitting ground strokes, serves, and volleys her whole life. The determination and effort she put into the sport, as well as her talent, led her to become the top player in Rosary High School's history. And the senior has earned The Beacon-News award for Player of the Year for the second straight season.

"I started playing when I was four and started taking group lessons when I was five," said Reuland. "I've always been into tennis. Usually in grade school, people play basketball, volleyball, or run track. But I stuck with tennis because I was good at it and I loved it."

That proved to be a good decision. Reuland (30-3 in her senior season) capped off a stellar career at Rosary by reaching the fourth round of the state tournament, at which she appeared in all four years. She battled the third-seeded player into the third set before developing cramps in both legs midway through the set. Reuland gutted out that final set in an attempt to reach the quarterfinal round, but couldn't overcome the physical limitations brought about by playing a tough match 20 minutes after her third-round victory.

Still, Reuland felt she was playing great tennis and enjoyed every minute of her final appearance on the big stage.

"I came off after the second set and told my dad that I'm having the greatest time, that this is the most fun ever," said Reuland. "And I love playing girls that get upset with themselves, especially when they wonder how they're losing to me. That really gets me going."

Her coach for all four years at Rosary, John Tsang, marveled at the improvement that Reuland made during that time.

"She has developed into a complete all-court player," said Tsang. "When she started as a freshman, we knew she had a big forehand and strong serve, and that we could build her game around those strengths. This year, she really showed us improvements to her court coverage and transition game, net play, and ability to hurt her opponents with both forehand and backhand. And her serve has gotten bigger."

Emily's father Steve successfully avoided the temptation to overfill her tennis plate, which kept her from burning out on the sport as so many other young athletes have.

"A lot of girls go every weekend and play monster tournaments, but we never did tons of traveling," said Steve Reuland. "We'd do maybe one a month, and be choosy about which tournament she played in, because I wanted her to have fun and enjoy it."

What opponents and observers note about Reuland's game is her relentless determination. That ability to persevere no matter what the situation made clear that her opponent has to play extremely well to beat her, since she simply doesn't beat herself.

"I've always been pretty cocky, and that's because tennis has given me a lot of confidence," Reuland noted of the benefits she has received from playing the sport. "Since it's only you out on the court, it really helps with your mind and making you think."

This was a special season for Rosary, which won its second straight sectional title and first conference tournament since 2004. As a two-year captain of the team, Reuland had a lot to do with raising the competitiveness and skill of those around her.

"Emily's work ethic, love for the game, and her tennis success really motivated the entire team to make everyone better," said Tsang. "She also has a fun personality, and the team just loved being around her, and vice versa. She has been a great pleasure to coach, and I will definitely miss working with her. I've learned a lot from Em and have great memories that I will cherish for a very long time."

While she takes pride in her accomplishments at Rosary, Reuland got the most satisfaction in the friendships she made with her teammates and with other players she met.

"It's been great to be part of a team that hangs around together outside of tennis," said Reuland. "With them, it's not about the tennis -- it's about the friendships we have. And we had a lot of fun at practice, too."

Reuland will get a chance to take her skills to the Division I level. This week, she will sign a letter of intent to play at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. The school is in the Mid-American Conference which includes Northern Illinois University, so Reuland expects to get some chances to play close to Aurora.

Beyond college, Reuland is keeping an open mind.

"We'll see how things turn out. I've grown so much as a tennis player these past four years, so if I keep progressing, who knows where tennis will take me," Reuland said.

Nobody who saw her tenacious play on the court would put any limits on Emily Reuland's tennis future.