By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The old saying "Once a bridesmaid, always a bridesmaid" apparently doesn't apply to Stevens Point Area Senior High tennis player Ann Howley.
After three straight second place finishes in singles competition at the Wisconsin Valley Conference meet, Howley got to take home a gold medal last weekend after taking top honors at No. 1 singles.
In the final, she disposed of Wausau West's Rachel Riopel 6-2, 6-3. Riopel handed Howley (21-2 overall) her only Valley loss of the season on Aug. 31 in dual competition.
"Last year I lost conference in three sets so when I pulled through it was an awesome feeling," Howley said. "I knew I could beat Rachel. It was a buildup of three years."
Howley is familiar with Riopel's play after the two practiced together in the offseason.
"Her and I used to hit a lot over the winter. I went into (the Aug. 31 loss) not prepared enough mentally," Howley said. "I set up and beat her to win conference. That was a big goal for me.
"I know it's important to keep mentally strong because when I do that, I do really well. And it's my senior year so I want to do my best because I know it's my last year," Howley added.
Following an undefeated regular season, Howley had to be confident the SPASH team would win the overall conference title too. Last season, SPASH finished in a three-way tie with Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield. But with the addition of freshman Lauren Hom and more experience from its upperclassmen, the Panthers captured the outright championship.
"Right from the beginning we sat down as a team. Everyone has worked together and really wanted it," Howley said. (Hom) was that one person we needed to out-win it."
SPASH coach Nancy Schmidt, who took a year off last year after coaching the Panthers during Howley's freshman and sophomore seasons, returned in 1999.
"She's had a banner year," Schmidt said. "She's worked hard to improve her game to increase her variety of shots.
"We'll miss Annie's leadership next year. She's been on the team for four years. It will leave a gap. I was lucky to coach her three of her four years. She was mine to start with and I get her at the end."
Once her career with the Panthers is over, Howley hopes to keep playing at the college level. Howley, who has been playing on and off since kindergarten and was SPASH's No. 3 singles player as a freshman, said she is looking at Division 1 and 2 schools.
"I want to play college tennis. That's been my number one thing," Howley said.
While she says tennis is important, whatever school she chooses has to have a good pre-medicine program. Howley said she's looking at UW-Madison, Minnesota and schools in Oregon.
Before she takes off to college, Howley does have some more work to do at SPASH.
While winning the conference crown was important to Howley, a return to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state meet is also one of the senior's goals. A year ago, she advanced to the second round, where Howley dropped a three set match.
Howley will likely enter the WIAA sectional round in Eau Claire as the number one seed. If she is, a win in her first match will advance Howley to state. If she takes the No. 1 singles sectional title, the senior will be seeded among the top 16 at state.
"I'm ready to compete. I've been playing a lot," Howley said.
"I've played good players and know what it takes to play. I'd like to have a match to end my high school career that has a good ending."
According to Schmidt: "Her goal is to get up on that podium this year and I think she has a good shot of reaching that."