Alter’s Hawley evolves her game

The expectations Alter’s Rachel Hawley grapples with are all her own.

The I-have-big-shoes-to-fill mentality is to be expected when you have a standout sibling. Big sister Lauren is a former Knights state doubles champion and current first singles player at Denison University.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Hawley said. “My family, my coach, my teammates, they let me do my own thing, but I definitely have expectations.”

The Alter junior has been living up to those expectations this season as the Knights second singles player opened the season with a 6-1 record — including a must-win threeset match against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy that clinched a 3-2 team win.

“Rachel is very coachable,” Alter coach Charlie Painter said. “She has a lot of tenacity and a lot of fight.”

That wasn’t the case when Hawley first took the court for the Knights as a freshman.

“She was shy and a little timid on the court; I think she was somewhat overwhelmed,” Painter said.

Gaining confidence has been a gradual process for the 17-year-old. Hawley finished her freshman year with a 5-11 record in singles, improving to 13-7 last season.

“She gained a lot of confidence her sophomore year, and this year, she has really come into her own,” Painter said.

Hawley is quick to share credit for her improvement with her coaches and big sister.

“I definitely have seen the difference over the past two years,” she said.

Small tweaks have made a big difference. Hawley’s excitement and adrenaline during approach shots used to result in frequent long shots until her sister told her to focus on the words on the ball and concentrate on her shot — it worked.

As an eighth-grader, Rachel watched in awe as her sister and Amanda Showalter clinched the Division II state doubles title. Nothing would be a greater thrill for Rachel than to follow in Lauren’s footsteps and compete at state.

“Lauren is such a great player, it would be really amazing to do what she did,” Hawley said. “But I can’t imagine ever being as good as she is.”