Mannix thrives after switch from racquetball to tennis
Stephanie Mannix is just a high school freshman, and she’s already well into her second racket sport career.
She was ranked as high as No. 4 nationally in the girls 12-and-under age group as a racquetball player. But just more than a year ago, Mannix traded z-serves for kick serves, rollouts for top-spin forehands and ceiling shots for sky lobs.
Mannix seems to be just as lethal swinging a tennis racket. She’s compiled a 5-2 record as Lincoln East’s No. 1 singles player, including an impressive semifinal performance in the difficult 14-team Omaha Westside Invitational last week.
“I’m amazed at how fast she’s picked it (tennis) up,” East coach Marcus Schmidt said. “Steph’s only scratching the surface of what she can do in tennis. She already has a strong mental game and good footwork from racquetball, and she’s developing all the strokes. She’s willing to put the time in and work hard, so she’s just going to keep getting better.”
Mannix began moving away from racquetball when her father, Steve, had his third knee surgery two years ago and gave up the sport. Her older brother, Tyler, was also a racquetball player, and he took up tennis in the summer of 2006, just before his senior year. In a matter of weeks, he went from novice to a spot on the Lincoln High boys varsity team that fall.
“We would go out and hit (tennis) balls, and I got hooked. It was really fun,” Stephanie Mannix said. “My dad and Tyler didn’t play racquetball anymore, so I switched, too.”
While both sports require intricate hand-eye coordination, quick footwork and racket control, that’s where the similarities end. Mannix is learning how to handle the larger frame, hit with topspin and not depend on the back wall to bail her out on a ball that gets behind her.
You can still see a little racquetball in Mannix’s tennis strokes, especially in her slice forehand, a shot she uses when she gets pulled out wide and can’t set up for the shot.
“The strokes are completely different, that’s why it’s hard to play both sports at the same time,” said Mannix, who played volleyball on the Spartans’ freshman team last fall. “I don’t play racquetball anymore, I’m totally focused on tennis.”
Her father coached the Lincoln Northeast girls tennis team for one season in the early 1990s, so he was able to get her started. After working with former Woods Tennis Center pro Scott Broady last year, Mannix is now taking lessons from Nebraska Tennis Center head pro Jesse Plote.
During the high school season, she’s often practiced with the Spartans, then gone to the tennis center for either a hitting session with her father or a private lesson with Plote. She’ll rejoin the academy drill sessions after tennis season ends.
“What excites me is her passion for the game,” Plote said. “You don’t often see the kind of dedication Steph has, and that’s why she’s quickly closing the gap on these kids who have a lot more tennis experience. She runs, she lifts weights, she’s doing everything she needs to do to become a better player.”
Her first tournament was the Missouri Valley Futures in Lincoln early last summer. Going against sectional-level talent in her first event was an eye-opening experience.
“That was really hard, losing my first two matches,” Mannix said. “But it just made me more determined. It showed me I needed to practice more.”
At the Westside Invitational, Mannix toppled Omaha Burke’s Lindsay Weidman (a state quarterfinalist last year) in the first round and Grand Island’s Kelsie Olson in the second match. Mannix then fell to a pair of freshmen with long Missouri Valley backgrounds: Omaha Marian’s Brooke Urzendowski (a top-five player in the Valley’s 14-and-under girls division last year) and Millard West’s Alex Schelble.
“Not many coaches knew about her, and they were very surprised,” Schmidt said. “Having her at the No. 1 spot has made our team deeper and more competitive in the big tournaments.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
She was ranked as high as No. 4 nationally in the girls 12-and-under age group as a racquetball player. But just more than a year ago, Mannix traded z-serves for kick serves, rollouts for top-spin forehands and ceiling shots for sky lobs.
Mannix seems to be just as lethal swinging a tennis racket. She’s compiled a 5-2 record as Lincoln East’s No. 1 singles player, including an impressive semifinal performance in the difficult 14-team Omaha Westside Invitational last week.
“I’m amazed at how fast she’s picked it (tennis) up,” East coach Marcus Schmidt said. “Steph’s only scratching the surface of what she can do in tennis. She already has a strong mental game and good footwork from racquetball, and she’s developing all the strokes. She’s willing to put the time in and work hard, so she’s just going to keep getting better.”
Mannix began moving away from racquetball when her father, Steve, had his third knee surgery two years ago and gave up the sport. Her older brother, Tyler, was also a racquetball player, and he took up tennis in the summer of 2006, just before his senior year. In a matter of weeks, he went from novice to a spot on the Lincoln High boys varsity team that fall.
“We would go out and hit (tennis) balls, and I got hooked. It was really fun,” Stephanie Mannix said. “My dad and Tyler didn’t play racquetball anymore, so I switched, too.”
While both sports require intricate hand-eye coordination, quick footwork and racket control, that’s where the similarities end. Mannix is learning how to handle the larger frame, hit with topspin and not depend on the back wall to bail her out on a ball that gets behind her.
You can still see a little racquetball in Mannix’s tennis strokes, especially in her slice forehand, a shot she uses when she gets pulled out wide and can’t set up for the shot.
“The strokes are completely different, that’s why it’s hard to play both sports at the same time,” said Mannix, who played volleyball on the Spartans’ freshman team last fall. “I don’t play racquetball anymore, I’m totally focused on tennis.”
Her father coached the Lincoln Northeast girls tennis team for one season in the early 1990s, so he was able to get her started. After working with former Woods Tennis Center pro Scott Broady last year, Mannix is now taking lessons from Nebraska Tennis Center head pro Jesse Plote.
During the high school season, she’s often practiced with the Spartans, then gone to the tennis center for either a hitting session with her father or a private lesson with Plote. She’ll rejoin the academy drill sessions after tennis season ends.
“What excites me is her passion for the game,” Plote said. “You don’t often see the kind of dedication Steph has, and that’s why she’s quickly closing the gap on these kids who have a lot more tennis experience. She runs, she lifts weights, she’s doing everything she needs to do to become a better player.”
Her first tournament was the Missouri Valley Futures in Lincoln early last summer. Going against sectional-level talent in her first event was an eye-opening experience.
“That was really hard, losing my first two matches,” Mannix said. “But it just made me more determined. It showed me I needed to practice more.”
At the Westside Invitational, Mannix toppled Omaha Burke’s Lindsay Weidman (a state quarterfinalist last year) in the first round and Grand Island’s Kelsie Olson in the second match. Mannix then fell to a pair of freshmen with long Missouri Valley backgrounds: Omaha Marian’s Brooke Urzendowski (a top-five player in the Valley’s 14-and-under girls division last year) and Millard West’s Alex Schelble.
“Not many coaches knew about her, and they were very surprised,” Schmidt said. “Having her at the No. 1 spot has made our team deeper and more competitive in the big tournaments.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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