Notre Dame doubles team takes perfect record to state tournament

On the surface, Reagan Kapp and Carly Hopkins appear to have little in common.

Kapp lives in Missouri ... Hopkins lives in Illinois.

Kapp is a senior ... Hopkins is a sophomore.

Kapp is a blonde ... Hopkins is a brunette.

Kapp is left-handed ... Hopkins is right-handed.

However, put them on a tennis court together and they're unbeatable.

So much so that they will be sharing a ride to Springfield, Mo., this week for the Missouri Girls Tennis Championships.

The duo will be making their second appearance in the state doubles tournament as they continue their journey of breaking ground for the three-year-old Notre Dame tennis program.

Kapp and Hopkins produced a first for the program last year by advancing to the state tournament.

"I think last year we were thrilled to be going to state, and I'm thrilled again this year, but this year I'm prepared and know what to expect and I'm ready for anything," Kapp said. "And I'm a little more hopeful to bring home a trophy."

The expectations are higher after the pair won two consolation matches last year after losing their opener. The two wins bought an extra day of competition, which was reward enough.

"We were ecstatic to be spending the night and to be going on and playing again on Saturday," Kapp said. "Our coach last year told us 'If you make it to spend the night at state, then you're doing pretty good.' And we made it to spend the night, so we felt pretty good about it."

However, a second year of experience together and a 13-0 record in doubles play this season has raised the bar higher than a sleep over.

"I think last year we were hoping to go as far as we can, but this year we think we can win it all, or get very close," Hopkins said. "We were just hoping to get past the first round last year."

Hopkins words reflect the cohesion that has developed over two seasons of playing with Kapp, who previously played No. 1 doubles with her sister, Kelly, during the program's inaugural season.

Reagan and Kelly, a senior at the time, finished as district runner-up to qualify for sectional in 2011.

Little did Reagan know then, but her next partner was an eighth-grader living in Marion, Ill.

Drive to win

Hopkins was introduced to tennis at age 3, took lessons and began playing competitively by age 10. As a seventh grader, she had her eyes set on playing high school tennis, already practicing with the high school team in Marion.

"It was never a doubt I'd play tennis in high school," Hopkins said.

Notre Dame, which didn't have tennis when Hopkins was in seventh grade, wasn't even on the radar.

"Not until eighth grade really," Hopkins said about her awareness of Notre Dame, which is a 1 hour, 15 minute drive from her home, "and then we heard from somebody and how great a school it was, and we came down and fell in love with it."

The decision, which she calls a "last moment thing" included others who now travel 62 miles every day.

"Me and like nine other people ride up in a giant van," Hopkins said about the daily trips.

"Yeah, they have a huge carpool," said Kapp with a laugh. "It's like 'the van' comes."

Hopkins became the Bulldogs' No. 1 singles player upon her arrival, surviving the challenges from all teammates, including Kapp, who plays No. 2.

The other half

Kapp ran cross country her freshman year at Notre Dame. She said she always had a love for tennis and attended camps but never played competitively outside of a tournament or two. That changed when her parents, Bill and Mary Beth, donated the funds needed to build the eight-court facility at Notre Dame.

"My parents have always taught us that you are given time, talent and treasure, and everyone has different gifts, but that we need to be generous with what we have," Kapp said. "My parents have always loved Notre Dame as a school and have loved tennis. And for a long time they were trying to get enough funding to build some courts here, so my parents said they would step in and fill that need."

The dawn of a new program meant a new approach to tennis for Kapp.

"I had been out of practice for a while, but when the team started up, that summer before was like crunch time," Kapp said. "I had to get back into it."

She meshed well with her sister on the court, citing sibling intuition.

With Hopkins, there has been teamwork from Day 1.

Sum of the parts

"Having Carly as a doubles partner, we kind of hit it off right from the start, honestly," Kapp said. "Carly's great at the net, and I like to play the baseline. I think we've always had a good chemistry when we play."

The pairing resulted in just one loss last season and the trip to state.

This year, no team has won more than four games against them in a match. They marched past two Dexter duos for the district title -- the closest match was 6-1, 6-2 -- and swept an Arcadia Valley duo 6-0, 6-0 at sectional to reach the state tournament.

"They may lose the first two games, but then they come back and win eight in a row because they have a way of figuring things out when they're playing," Notre Dame first-year coach Donna Ryan said. "They're just excellent at doing that. I seldom get involved because they're very focused on the court and they do their own thing."

Notre Dame went 12-2 in dual meets this season, with the pair leading the way in both singles and doubles play. Part of that overall success can be attributed to weaker competition faced in the region.

"They've really not been tested as far as their doubles capabilities goes," Ryan said. "It'll be really interesting for me to see how they fare against these tougher teams."

Kapp has honed her own skills against Hopkins, who she readily admits is a better all-around player.

The two went head-to-head in the singles final of the Farmington Invitational this year, where Hopkins won 8-4. Friendship, opportunity, growth and admiration exist where resentment could take hold.

"Carly just plays really good tennis," Kapp said. "I know that if I'm playing her, I know I'm getting better in the ways I need to be competitive. I like it, even though its frustrating because I lose, because she's really good."

That attitude has been a key ingredient in the chemistry, which Hopkins knows is not a given.

"It depends who you're with," Hopkins said. "I'm just really lucky to have someone as good and nice as Reagan. She's left-handed and I'm right-handed, which makes it kind of easier."

Ryan said Hopkins has gotten stronger as the season has progressed, and Kapp has improved since her junior year.

That combination has been tough to beat.

"[Carly] has kind of trained Reagan through this, and they've gotten stronger together," Ryan said. "They're much stronger together than when they're apart."