All-Area Girls’ Tennis Singles Player of the Year: It’s all in the family for La Cañada’s Sophie McKenzie
Success in tennis has become a tradition in the McKenzie family household.
In the last four years at La Cañada High, the McKenzie name has been synonymous with winning and achievements for the Spartans. First there were Ally and Cassie, who starred for the girls’ squad, and they were joined by JP, who is now a junior with the boys’ team.
In 2014, Ally and Cassie teamed up to win the Rio Hondo League doubles championship, advanced to the CIF semifinals and were named the All-Area Doubles Team of the Year. Ally also won the league singles title in 2013, while JP has been a starter for the Spartans for the last two seasons.
When the newest member of the McKenzie clan, Sophie, burst onto the scene at La Cañada in 2015, she and Cassie won a league title, progressed to the CIF semifinals and earned All-Area Doubles Team of the Year accolades.
“I really look at Ally and Cassie as my role models,” said Sophie, a sophomore, about her sisters who are now both at St. Louis University in Missouri. “Watching them and my brother, I’ve been able to learn so much. I’ve really seen what they’ve been able to do over the years and I’ve learned a lot from that. I know what to do and what not to do from watching them.
“It’s really been great to grow up in a family where tennis is a big deal. We would play all the time and I always knew if I wanted to go out and practice or play there would be someone as close as five feet from me that I could play with.”
Will Moravec, who coaches the Spartans boys’ and girls’ teams, has known the McKenzie family for years and has seen all the siblings grow and progress in tennis.
“They really went all in as a family with the tennis thing a few years ago and you can really see the results of that,” Moravec said. “It started with Ally and then everybody else started playing. With any sport, if you get that support from the family as a whole, the kids really benefit from that. They are out there playing and being together as a family, and that’s great to see.”
With Cassie graduating, Sophie was by herself this past season. The sophomore played singles for the Spartans and earned accolades in her own right. McKenzie was runner-up in the competitive Rio Hondo League tournament and advanced three rounds in the CIF Individual Girls’ Tennis Tournament in November.
It is because of her accomplishments that Sophie McKenzie has been named the 2016 All-Area Girls’ Tennis Singles Player of the Year by the writers of the La Cañada Valley Sun, Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.
There is a drive in McKenzie that fuels her when she’s on the tennis court. Although not a self-described perfectionist, McKenzie admits she pushes herself to get better and that all comes about in practice.
“There were times during the season where we would have a game on Friday and we get back home at about 6 p.m. or 6:30,” Moravec said. “I would go over to the courts because I would have private lessons or something and then Sophie would show up with her dad at 7 or 7:30 to practice, and she’s out there serving and doing ground strokes.
“You just don’t get that good if you don’t have the support of your parents. She also has that drive and she’s willing to put in the hard work to be successful. She has high expectations and she expects a certain amount of success.”
Said McKenzie: “For me, I’m really a practice-kind of person. Some people can just not practice for a few days and go out and beat a No. 1 seed in a tournament, but I’m really the opposite. I’m really practice dependent and I need to go out there and work on my game. If I feel I didn’t have a good practice or didn’t do what I wanted to in a match, I have to go out and practice afterward.
“Not playing well is not fun.”
Although McKenzie can be intense on the court, some of her teammates see another side of her.
“What is great about Sophie as a player is that she is able to incorporate fun as well as intensity in her matches,” said Spartans sophomore doubles player Solenn Matsuka. “In between games, she’s always laughing, she’s always joking around and she’s also positive. But, on the court, she knows when to bring it and when to be serious.
“But she’s also a player who always strives to do better. She is at such a high caliber and she cares so much about her game and that’s so important.”
McKenzie proved to be a valuable asset for the Spartans, compiling a 29-6 record and going 18-2 in league. Seeded second for the Rio Hondo League tournament, McKenzie punched her ticket to the finals by defeating teammate Anabelle Kevakian, 6-1, 6-0, in the semifinals. However, in the finals, McKenzie fell to San Marino freshman and No. 1 seed Anessa Lee, 6-3, 6-0.
In CIF Individual Tournament competition, McKenzie had a first-round bye before posting a 6-0, 6-0 second-round victory against Marina Chow of Gladstone. In the third round, the Spartan lost to Eryn Cayetano of St. Anthony, 6-3, 6-3, at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center in South El Monte.
“I was really happy with how I did overall for the season,” McKenzie said. “But I was a little disappointed with CIF. I did have a tough draw and I had to go against one of the better girls in the draw and I lost. But even though I lost I thought I played pretty well and I had a really good time.
“I like playing singles. I did have a lot of fun last year playing with Cassie, because she was there by my side and we were able to do it together. But I’ve been playing singles since I started playing tennis and I do like being in singles.”
With two more years of high school tennis ahead of her, McKenzie can add even more success to the family legacy at La Cañada. But with all the accolades she has enjoyed and could enjoy in the future, she realizes she wouldn’t have been able to be as successful if it wasn’t for the support of her family.
“I really don’t remember a time when I wasn’t playing tennis,” she said. “As long as I can remember, we’ve played tennis in our family. I really like the fact that my whole family plays tennis. It’s our sport and we all love it.”
