Megan Blake has put together one of the best tennis resumes in area history.
It includes a state championship, a re-rise to No. 1 singles and becoming the most dominant player in West Michigan. She has been selected as Holland Sentinel Girls Tennis Player of the Year for the second time.
But she has also made her mark mentoring younger tennis players in the program to help West Ottawa continue its run of regional titles and state tournament appearances.
"Megan is always looking to build up those around her," West Ottawa coach Pete Schwallier said. "In the summer, she is a frequent volunteer at our summer camps for our elementary kids. She is a year-round mentor to some of our top middle school players, who are currently training to reach and hopefully someday surpass Megan's accomplishments. Megan wants the next group of youngsters to someday surpass her accomplishments, and she does everything she can to help them do so."
Having not only an older player to look up to, but the best high school player in the area, has been huge for the young group.
"Megan has given me the drive to be the best I can be and is a great player to look up to and become," middle-schooler Izzy Gitler said. "She is one of the main reasons why I work so hard and have gotten better. She is always positive and believes in me."
And she believes in herself.
"This season I have been upping the intensity a lot, cheering for myself when I win big points, and I think that has helped me a lot," Blake said. "When we play Rockford, the intensity is up, so I had to match it."
It led her to a state championship at No. 4 doubles as a freshman, a spot at No. 1 singles as a sophomore - and a senior. Her 93 career wins are a school record for the Panthers.
"Megan is the most decorated tennis player to ever play for West Ottawa tennis," Schwallier said. "Megan made the varsity team as a freshman, playing fourth doubles with partner Kam Dumas, becoming the first West Ottawa players in program history to win a state title. As a sophomore she won the No. 1 singles position, where she won another conference title, establishing herself as the best player in the OK Red. As a junior she faced a setback, losing the 1 singles spot to two of our incredible players, Danielle Lebster and Chloe Duckworth. She responded with a stellar season at No. 3 singles, claiming a third conference title and a secondnd regional title.
"As a senior, she won the No. 1 singles position back, establishing herself once again as the best player in the OK Red with her fourth conference title. She would then go on to win the regional title at 1 singles, establishing herself as the best player in the region."
Blake led West Ottawa to a conference and regional title all four years on varsity - including three top-10 finishes in the state.
"Megan, along with a few of her peers, have spent more time in the weight room than any player I've coached," Schwallier said. " She is strong, fast, agile, and coordinated. On court, she put thousands of hours in not only improving her strokes and technique, but in actually competing. She plays USTA tournaments year-round, meaning she goes into every season battle tested right out of the gate."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
Most Popular
Comments / 0