Stahlhuth looks back after 200 wins as women’s tennis coach

| Staff Reporter

Kelly Stahlhuth began by hitting tennis balls against a wall and rallying with her father on courts that are now covered by parking lots. Now, she has won 200 matches as the head coach of the Washington University women’s tennis team.

Kelly Stahlhuth and the Wash. U. women’s tennis team celebrate after Stahlhuth’s 200th career win against DePauw University, Feb. 10. Stahlhuth has been the WU coach since 2005.Courtesy of Laurel Wagner

Kelly Stahlhuth and the Wash. U. women’s tennis team celebrate after Stahlhuth’s 200th career win against DePauw University, Feb. 10. Stahlhuth has been the WU coach since 2005.

Going into the Feb. 10 match against DePauw University, the team’s first match of the year, Stahlhuth had little idea that she was on the brink of 200 wins. “One person might have mentioned the milestone beforehand, but once the match has started you are worried about warmups and strategy,” she said. “All of the sudden it happened and the team brought out a cake. I thought it was just a cake for them so I said, ‘Great job today,’ and was clapping before they said ‘no, it’s for you.’ That’s when I knew.”

Stahlhuth has been very successful, totaling twice as many wins as losses. “When I started here in 2005 I had zero career wins, so it is pretty cool for me to say that all the wins I’ve been able to amass have been here at Wash. U.” Her success with the Bears extends beyond wins, however. Last season, Stahlhuth was named the International Tennis Association’s Central Region Coach of the Year, and she has led the team to the national NCAA tournament 12 times, including four appearances in the Elite Eight.

Despite the big milestones that she has achieved over the years, Stahlhuth says that her favorite memories are not necessarily those that involve winning. “Those Elite Eight years were pretty special, but then I also had my second year here, when we didn’t make nationals,” she recalled. “I remember that team. They were the nicest, hardest workers and they did the most with their potential. They didn’t necessarily reap it in terms of wins or the Elite Eight, but I remember that year, too. You remember some teams that are in the record books and some that no one would even know about.”

However, Stahlhuth does not remember the circumstances of her 100th victory with the team, which came during the 2011-2012 season. “I don’t even remember who we were playing,” she observed, laughing. “It’s such a team thing, and as a coach you kind of get lost in all the details.” Describing herself as a very competitive person, Stahlhuth said that the victories are important. Still, she said, her main goal as a coach is to bring her players together to have an experience that surpasses any an individual could achieve alone.

That balance between the team and the individual player is part of what has kept Stahlhuth interested in tennis throughout her adult life. She played at Indiana University, a Division I school, serving as the team’s captain her junior and senior years. The head coach there, Lin Loring (who is now coaching his 40th season with the Hoosiers), inspired her. “He was very level-headed and calm, and I think that was really important,” Stahlhuth said. “He didn’t get too worked up and he didn’t get too down—he was very steady.”

Now, Stahlhuth imparts that philosophy of even-keeled positivity upon the Bears. She understands that the players have a lot on their plates, as they have to juggle studying, practice, other extracurriculars, personal lives and sleep. “As long as we’re all putting academics first, we can be creative and figure a way around it,” she said. “[The players] have to want to be creative and I have to want to be creative.” She loves how bright the players are, she said, observing that the intense academic environment is one reason she enjoys coaching at Washington University.

In the process of racking up 200 wins, Stahlhuth says she has grown as a coach. As the women’s tennis program improves, it becomes more and more difficult to get even better. “Now, the steps are smaller and they’re harder. It’s hard to take big leaps. So I’m always trying to figure out ‘how can we make it work in this environment?’” she said. In her time at Wash. U., she has learned that improving as a coach requires constant work. “I’m still trying to read and figure out and observe and talk to other coaches because if you can just grab a little nugget each year, you’ll get better.”

That is not to say that the work is not fun. Five days of practice each week and hours-long bus rides across drab Midwestern countryside allow Stahlhuth and the players to get to know one another, forming a tight-knit community as the season progresses. According to Stahlhuth, an annual tournament in Madison, Wi., always brings the players together. “We walk into that club and it’s dark and you leave that club and it’s dark. As hard as it is, it’s those hard things that afterward you smile and you’re like ‘how did we survive that?’” She keeps in touch with past players (One, Paige Madara, now coaches the Grinnell College women’s tennis team) and gets lunch with players in the off-season to catch up.

It does not seem like Stahlhuth will be throwing in the towel any time soon. “My hope for the next 100 wins is that I keep making this experience as amazing as it could be. I want it to be something the players remember positively,” she said. This spring, after a 13-8 year last season and a second round exit from the playoffs, the Bears seek to make a deep run in the national tournament. Stahlhuth said that the team will need to be more aggressive in its doubles matches and that setting up points will be crucial for singles. “Our points need to get a little longer, because as we get into the season, we play better opponents,” she said. This weekend, the Bears will look to kick off a stretch of 10 matches in three weeks on a high note, as they head to San Antonio to play Southwestern, Trinity, and East Texas Baptist Universities.

When she thinks back on her time playing at Indiana, Stahlhuth recalls winning Big Ten championships with the Hoosiers. Yet her favorite memories are those of her friends from the team, whom she still keeps in touch with today, 30 years later. She brings that same attitude to the Bears today. “I’ll text the old players and there’s something where they’re all getting together for New Year’s Eve and it warms my heart. I think, ‘Okay, we pulled this together back then and I hope for the same thing with this group, that they’re texting each other in ten years,’” she said. “The wins are great, but what’s even better is this experience.”

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