Ernest Righetti High School girls’ tennis coach Patrick Ortiz named Kate Hardisty the varsity team captain this week. The move highlights her skill level because the newly appointed captain is just entering her junior season.
“She has tennis DNA,” Ortiz said. “You have to have someone in the leadership role, and that is going to be Kate this year.”
The Sun talked to Hardisty about her new spot on the team when the Warriors scrimmaged Santa Maria High School on Aug. 28.
“The role of the captain is to be the leader and help everyone on the team,” the 16-year-old said. “During the season, I really like being with all my teammates.”
Hardisty started playing tennis before she could see over the net. The now-Righetti Warrior was 3 years old when she picked up a racket.
Her mother, Jamie, is a tennis player and played for Santa Maria High School.
“It feels great to watch her play and see her succeed,” her mom said.
Hardisty started taking lessons at the age of 5 with Darien Wright, who is the head professional at the Santa Maria Country Club (SMCC). Wright has worked with Hardisty ever since. Hardisty trained at SMCC this summer.
“She’s passionate about the game,” Wright said. “A lot of people start because their parents made them, but she wants to do this.”
The diehard tennis player made varsity her freshman year. She remembers one of her proudest moments as a freshman was when she went to CIF.
She was playing doubles, and she and her partner were down in a match against Malibu. They didn’t win, but they pushed through to the end and it turned out to be a great match, she said.
“It’s not so much about winning,” she said. “I just love the game itself.”
The strongest aspects of her game are her first serve and backhand, she said, adding that the serve is the most important part. She also focuses on centering herself before each shot and hitting seven balls over the net during each rally.
“She has really good control of the ball,” Wright said. “She moves her opponents around a lot and keeps them on the run.”
Academically, Hardisty is also strong and takes advanced placement classes, earning a 4.0 GPA last year. For fun, Hardisty likes to play golf and surf, which she said helps her practice being balanced.
On the weekends, she plays doubles with her dad, mom, and older sister. She said her mom and dad try to make it fair, but her dad is a “beast at the net.”
More often than not, Hardisty is a baseline player, but is working toward being more aggressive on the net, Coach Ortiz said.
She hopes to make it back to CIF this year and is looking forward to her matches against St. Joseph and Arroyo Grande. On Sept. 3, the Warriors take on Lompoc on their home court at 3 p.m.
This article appears in Sep 4-11, 2014.