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Kennett's Sydni McAtee puts together award-winning tennis career despite late start
Lucas Presson, Girls Tennis Athlete of the Year Sydni McAtee of Kennett, and Rick Horton are seen during the 2019 Semoball Awards Saturday, July 13, 2019, at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus in Cape Girardeau.
The summer before Sydni McAtee started high school at Kennett playing competitive tennis was not on her radar.
“I was in a summer school PE class and assistant tennis coach Hanna Lack came up to me and encouraged me to play tennis,” McAtee said. “I replied, ‘I don’t think I’d be very good at it because I went to one summer tennis clinic when I was a kid and I hated it.’
“But I finally tried it one day in PE. I kept playing it every day that summer. Eventually, I decided to challenge myself by trying something new and went out for tennis as a freshman. Things ended up working out.”
McAtee became a varsity starter for Kennett by her sophomore season and qualified for the individual doubles state tournament her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.
“I loved doubles,” McAtee said. “I was really hard on myself in singles but in doubles, you always have someone to pick you up. I had a great doubles partner - Darcy Campbell. We were a determined team that always wanted to be first. We had a great mentality and worked really well together."
As McAtee enjoyed continued success in doubles action she also prospered in singles play. McAtee transitioned from being the No. 5 singles player at Kennett as a junior to the No. 1 singles player her senior season.
“I always looked up to the older players,” McAtee said. “They were such an inspiration because they were so good. When I started playing I told myself I wasn’t just going to be decent at the sport. I was going to work at it to achieve my goals. I set very high standards for myself.”
Kennett finished 13-1 and advanced to the state quarterfinals as a team McAtee’s senior season. McAtee went 11-0 in singles and 27-2 in doubles during her senior campaign. She was also part of a doubles team that won the SEMO Conference Tournament.
“Sydni was a great leader on our team,” Kennett coach Janet Hilburn said. “She was also a top-notch student that participated in extracurricular activities. She was also top-notch in sportsmanship and volunteering her time. You couldn’t have asked for a better person to be a part of our program.”
McAtee’s hard work culminated when she was named the 2019 Girls Tennis Athlete of the Year at the sixth annual Semoball Awards Saturday night at Southeast Missouri State River Campus in Cape Girardeau.
“Sydni had a phenomenal work ethic,” Kennett athletic director Jim Vaughan said. “She came in as a three-sport athlete as a freshman and then narrowed that down to two sports. She worked hard on her own on the tennis court and in the batting cage. It has been a course of hard work over four years to get herself to this point. She absolutely earned this award.”
McAtee said winning the award wouldn’t have been possible without the motivation and training her head coach provided.
“I really want to thank coach Janet Hilburn for making me a better tennis player,” McAtee said. “She was a tough coach but she really pushed me and helped me succeed. I’m very grateful for her and her commitment to the sport. She has been great.”
McAtee, who will attend the University of Mississippi this fall, volunteered her time off the court when she wasn’t racking up wins for the tennis squad. One such instance was when she served as president of the Kennett Athletic Leadership Council her senior year.
“We did a couple of service projects this year,” said Vaughan, who is the sponsor of the organization. “Our big one was the Senior Citizen Prom. Sydni did a wonderful job organizing, directing, and taking care of the responsibilities of that event.”
McAtee also enjoyed success on the softball diamond. The Kennett softball program won a district title all four years McAtee was in high school and placed second at the Class 1 state tournament this spring.
“I’d have to say softball is my all-time favorite sport,” said McAtee, who was the starting second baseman for Kennett. “My dad has literally worked with me every single day and helped me grow to love softball. It’s kind of ironic I won an award in a sport I didn’t start playing until I was a freshman instead of a sport I played my entire life.”
It is the fourth time a Kennett tennis player has been selected as the Girls Tennis Athlete of the Year since the Semoball Awards started in 2014. Kennett’s Kate Shetley was the Girls Tennis Athlete of the Year in 2014 and Kennett’s Hadley Hilburn also took home the award in 2016 and 2017.
“We have such a great tennis program and a great tennis coach who will always keep our tradition going,” McAtee said. “When I received the award Rick Horton said, ‘You girls down in Kennett know how to play tennis.’ I said, ‘Yes. We have a great program and our entire school supports the tennis team.’”
The Semoball Awards are presented by SoutheastHEALTH and title sponsors: The Bank of Missouri (Official Bank Sponsor), SEMO ESPN Radio, St. Louis Cardinals and rustmedia.