Bill Hester, Special to the Post-Dispatch
St. Joseph’s Academy tennis coach Doug Smith knew what he was getting when freshman Adelyn Gross joined the Angels this season.
Smith had coached Adelyn’s sister, Emerey, for a season. Emerey, who is now at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., won a state doubles title in that 2022 season with Abby Gaines.
Smith remembers the first time he saw Adelyn play, and it was with Emerey at MAC West when Adelyn was just 10years old.
“They were on the front court so I had a bird’s eye view,” Smith said. “She was playing up in an older age group. Adelyn was a blur of energy and activity. Undaunted by her older opponents, she was in constant motion at the net, eager to shorten points with crisp putaway volleys. With her tools and such spirit, I felt she had the makings of a champion.”
And a champion she was after leading the Angels to the Class 3 team title in Springfield. It was the 19th state title for the Angels, which is the most of any girls team in Missouri.
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Gross was the missing piece — a huge one — for a team that did not make it out of districts last year. St. Joseph’s lost 5-0 in the district championship in 2023 to eventual champion John Burroughs.
Gross moved to the No. 1 singles spot in the order, which moved everyone on an experienced team down a position. And what a difference that proved to be. Ali Kennedy played No. 1 singles in 2023 and had a 5-11 record against the best players in the area. Kennedy, who teamed with Ashley Behan to win the Class 3 doubles championship that year, moved down to No. 2 singles this year. She played 14 matches at No. 2 and won them all.
That one addition to the team solidified a good team to a dominating team. They reversed the result of the district championship, defeating a very good John Burroughs team by the same 5-0 score.
They earned a spot in Springfield with a 5-1 win over Rock Bridge in the quarterfinals. The Angels did not lose a court in Springfield, defeating Liberty-KC in the semifinals and Lafayette in the final by identical 5-0 scores.
“It was so exciting to win as a team,” Gross said. “I came into the season expecting to gain some new friends and have fun experiences. And that was what happened. It was fun to travel with the team and see everyone having fun at the end, not just one person. I was happy to be able to contribute my part.”
Gross’ part was good enough to have her be selected as the Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year.
“Adelyn met and went beyond my expectations,” Smith said. “She was certainly the bell weather on our team despite being the youngest. The seniors revered her and embraced her from the get go. She was a huge key to our championship.”
Gross lost just two matches over the course of the season. Her only loss in the regular season came against Mia Yin of Lafayette. Then at the individual state tournament, Gross lost to Sydney Fuger of North Kansas City in the quarterfinals but came back to win the consolation singles title.
Called ‘Battlin’ Adelyn’ by teammates after she won a tough regular season match despite suffering from pneumonia, Gross was undefeated in doubles this season.
She excelled at the team final four in Springfield. Gross had comfortable leads over Yin and eventual Class 3 singles champion Ava Beltran of Liberty when her matches were stopped after the Angels earned their clinching fifth court.
Gross, who said she is still undecided on whether she will play high school tennis next year, will concentrate now on her junior tennis. She leaves the day after Christmas for Winter Nationals.
Currently, Gross is ranked 17th nationally in the United States Tennis Association in singles and sixth in doubles. She is the top-ranked player in St. Louis and the Missouri Valley in 14s. She will turn 15 in March.
Read about the St. Louis area’s top high school girls tennis players and their accomplishments throughout the 2024 season.
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