Kaily McDaniel always had been an active athlete at Milan High School.
She earned varsity letters in cross country, basketball, soccer, track and field and tennis.
That’s a lot of practices, games, matches and meets.
But last week, McDaniel outdid even herself – competing in the state tournament for tennis and track, then getting coaxed into rejoining the soccer team for its state-tournament opener.
On Wednesday, June 13, she entered a Division 3 tennis regional at Grosse Ile unseeded but upset the top seed en route to a runner-up finish in No. 2 singles.
She left straight from the regional for Saginaw Valley State University to attend an orientation session.
McDaniel then hurried back to Milan, so she could get some rest before the Division 2 track and field regional at Chelsea on Friday, June 15. She helped the Big Reds qualify for the state in the 1,600 relay.
Before the weekend ended, she was convinced to join the school’s soccer team to complete the season.
She will suit up for a district quarterfinal game against Pinckney on Thursday, May 21.
“When tennis ended, I joined soccer,” she said. “They asked me to come back.”
McDaniel attended a tennis clinic in the middle school and immediately liked the sport. Her spring schedule was booked up, however, with soccer and track.
“Tennis was always something I wanted to try,” she said. “I figured this was my last year, so I would do it. It was so much fun.”
She even skipped her senior season of basketball to work with tennis coach Nathan Rodriguez during the winter.
“I’m really not sure what made her decide to play,” Rodriguez said. “I know she has played cross country, basketball, and soccer and track. So, I knew she was a great athlete and I was just happy to have her try tennis.
“What I knew was different about her right away was that she wanted to start hitting right away once a week at four-player workouts in the gym at Symons Elementary and that she had a great attitude about learning the sport. Obviously, she had good hand-eye coordination from the start but tennis is a hard sport for anyone to pick up.”
The game came naturally to McDaniel. Her athleticism impressed Rodriguez.
“I remember being amazed during one of those first weeks when she got to a ball with a speed that was so effortless and faster than just about any player that I have coached,” he said. “I knew she would be a special player.”
She progressed quickly and eventually was slotted into the lineup at No. 2 singles – something almost unheard of for a first-year player.
“I was surprised, but super excited,” she said. “I wanted to be able to prove myself.”
The season had its ups and downs as McDaniel learned the game. That’s why she was not seeded for the regional.
But by then, she had discovered her strengths on the court and developed a strategy to take advantage of her stamina.
“Coach Rod’s favorite thing to say was, ‘Make the points go on for as long as possible. Make it feel like it was pulling teeth to win a point,’” she said. “My mindset was to prolong games as long as possible and make them tired so they made mistakes.”
She was playing the long game.
“During the regional tournament, Kaily used her movement to defend and get to every ball,” Rodriguez said. “She would get everything back and never miss. She beat players who have played for years with better technique, because she made them play another ball.”
Her first regional match came against an opponent from Adrian who had played No. 1 singles for a good portion of the season. The result was a 6-7, 6-3, 10-8 victory.
Next up was the No. 1 seed from Chelsea. Her 7-6 tiebreaker win in the opening set wore down her opponent, and McDaniel won the second set 6-3.
It was the same story in the semifinals.
McDaniel dropped the opening set 6-3, but came back to win the next two 6-1, 6-4.
The championship match was another marathon.
McDaniel dropped the opening set 6-1, then took the second 6-4. The deciding set was decided by a 10-2 tiebreaker.
A day of tennis that began at 9 a.m. ended at around 8 p.m.
“t was the single greatest day of tennis that I have seen a Milan athlete have in my 18 years of coaching,” Rodriguez said.
There was no time for the weary daughter of Keith McDaniel and Nichole Kuenzel-McDaniel of Milan to rest.
“She had to be up at Saginaw Valley the next morning,” her mother said. “We thought she would be out in the second round and we would have plenty of time to get up there. She wound up playing all day. We didn’t get there until about 10:30.”
And that was just the start of an eventful weekend for McDaniel.
Things will slow down when her senior year ends.
McDaniel will not be playing any sports at Saginaw Valley.
“I’ll just be a student,” she said. “I am very excited to be able to do that. I might do intramurals or whatever. I want to join some clubs in college instead of sports. I’ve never been able to do that because I’ve been so busy with a lot of stuff.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Tennis becomes latest addition to Kaily McDaniel’s packed schedule
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
