Talent alone doesn’t make someone a star, though SU freshman tennis player Maddie Kobelt certainly isn’t lacking it. Being a tennis ace, also requires determination, hard work, intelligence, and a positive attitude, all of which Kobelt possesses.
“Maddie is a goofball with a warrior mindset,” Orange head coach Luke Jensen [12] said. “She’s fun to be around but zeroes in on the competition as soon as the match starts.”
Kobelt [13] has clearly been doing a good job at focusing on the competition, as her 13-4 singles record indicates. As a freshman, simply starting at the second singles spot for a Division I school is impressive enough on its own, but such a high winning percentage speaks wonders for her talent and drive for success.
An avid fan of tennis for years, Kobelt began playing at age 10, making her accustomed to competition at a young age. She was named MVP of the New Albany high school tennis team each of her four years there. Jensen scouted her during her junior year.
“She was good as a junior [in high school] but is great as a freshman,” Jensen said. “To come in as a freshman and perform like this is incredible.”
Kobelt, meanwhile, doesn’t seem too concerned about her first-year standing, choosing to focus on the nature of the game and her own prowess instead.
“I don’t think about being a freshman,” she said. I go out there and play my game, and I’m proud of how I’ve done so far.”
While Kobelt has done well in singles play, it is her play at first doubles – along with junior co-captain Emily Harman [14] – that is really turning heads. The two have combined for a 13-2 record over the past two months.
During that span, both of those losses came early in the season. The losses were also extremely close, as they fell 8-6 and 8-7. The strength of the duo is their ability to serve, and they also have fantastic team chemistry.
“You always are in search of that perfect partner and I think we’ve really found something here,” Harman said.
In addition to great personal chemistry with partner Harman, Kobelt also finds the team chemistry to be strong. She said all the girls on the team speak very highly of each other and the upperclassmen are always willing to lend a hand to Kobelt and fellow freshmen, Eva Raszkiewicz [15] and Aleah Marrow [16].
“The camaraderie is very helpful. We’re one of the only teams that cheer for each other during as well as after our own matches,” Kobelt said.
The friendships among the girls are very visible as they all sit around laughing and talking while stretching. Kobelt in particular is always smiling and her teammates say she is “fun to be around”, “really easy to get along with”, and “an amazing girl.”
Despite the fact the Orange [17] will lose three talented seniors in May, the star freshman class led by Kobelt promises for a bright future.
