If you have had great success doing things one way for several years, would you make changes? Most of us live by the adage, “Don't fix it unless it's broken.” Not so for Timothy tennis players Jane Carter, a junior, and Crystina Lee, a senior.

Jane and Crystina experienced great success on the court for two and three years, respectively. They both played on conference championship teams and experienced high finishes in state tournaments. In her freshman year, Jane finished in the top 12 in the state in doubles and was named All-State. Her sophomore year, she moved to singles and was named All-State again, winning two matches at the state meet and gaining valuable experience.

Crystina was named All-State for three years in a row in singles and finished 8th in the state, improving to 6th in her junior year. As they prepared for the 2023 season, Jane and Crystina had great expectations. Both experienced success throughout the season as singles players, but, as the season was drawing to a close, they began to think about a strategy for the upcoming state playoffs. They began to consider more seriously a change. “What if we became a doubles team?”

As the state tournament neared, they started talking about that possibility with Coach Keith Mills, who had been pondering the idea himself. He knew that each of them could do well individually in singles competition, but if they became a doubles team, they might be formidable. Being a veteran coach of state tennis competitions and knowing the competition that Jane and Crystina would face, Coach Mills liked their chances to succeed. The decision was made for them to play doubles just before sectionals.

Jane and Crystina had practiced together for three years and had watched each other compete in singles. While both were very successful singles players, their skill sets were different. “Jane is a great finesse player. She’s very athletic and particularly suited for shots around the net. I like to blast the ball from the baseline with a power game. That can be a deadly combination in tennis,” says Crystina. They combined those skill sets for only four matches together as a doubles team before state competition began.

In Illinois, there are only two classes of schools in tennis for state playoffs, and Timothy plays in 1A. This meant that Crystina and Jane would be playing against doubles teams representing schools with 1400 students! However, they were fearless.

“Coach Mills is a quiet leader. He taught us to play with humility and to have integrity. Opposing players, coaches, and parents noticed there was something different about Timothy. Most importantly, we learned that we play for an audience of One!”

With little experience playing together and playing against stiff competition from much larger schools, Jane and Crystina advanced through sectionals to the grueling two-day state tournament. They made it to the semi-finals where they faced a very talented Dunlap team and defeated them in a close match that went down to the wire. Physically and emotionally drained, they played against the defending state champion doubles team from Benet Academy, who had been playing doubles together for two years. They lost, placing second in the state, which is the highest achievement for any Timothy tennis players, singles or doubles. The risk they decided to take in becoming a team was well worth the reward.

While finishing second in the state will have a lasting impact on them, one of the things they will cherish more dearly is the support of the Timothy community. Looking back, the girls said, “Everyone was very supportive and encouraging. Coach Mills is a quiet leader. He taught us to play with humility and to have integrity. Opposing players, coaches, and parents noticed there was something different about Timothy. Most importantly, we learned that we play for an audience of One!”