By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

In a sporting world consumed by club teams and travel squads, Mahomet-Seymour seniors Adella Bird and Haley Reed are a throwback to a seemingly bygone era.

They entered high school in 2022 ready to conquer a new challenge and try a sport they had never done before.

Bird took up tennis as a freshman. Her good friend Reed waited until her sophomore year to learn tennis.

When they graduate, it will be as the most highly decorated doubles duo in school history. They finished their senior season tied for ninth in the Class 1A state tournament, helping the Bulldogs to a 19th-place team finish.

They came to the tennis team as competitors with an athletic background.
Bird was a cross-country runner in junior high.

“I liked running,” she said, “but I didn’t love it and I wanted to find something that I would love.
“Tennis was an option and since the girls’ tennis coach was someone I looked up to, it became an easy decision from there.”

As for her freshman year, she fondly remembers her reaction to being part of the squad.
“My ultimate goal was just to make the team,” Bird said. “I remember being terrified that I was going to be cut. I do remember when I found out I had made the team, I told everyone because I was beyond happy.”

She spoke the truth about having a roster spot, but there was an additional detail that she overlooked.

“When I told people I made a high school sports team, I left out the part that there were actually no cuts that year,” Bird added.

The tennis coach, Alex Amatyleon, was the leader in Bird’s youth group at Grace Church.
“I believe I fell in love with tennis because of my coach,” Bird said. “Throughout all the sports I have tried, I have never had a bad coach; in fact, I have had great ones.

“My tennis coach was someone who really inspired me and still is. My coach made tennis the most fun sport possible. His skills at the sport are incredible, and I love how, no matter what, he treats all of his players with kindness.”

Reed was a soccer player, who was forced to give up that sport a year ago after suffering several concussions.

She didn’t have high expectations for herself as a novice in tennis.

“I didn’t expect much considering I missed out on freshman year,” Reed said.

The key, Amatyleon said, was how the teen-agers immersed themselves in the new activity.

“Adella and Haley were an absolute joy to get to know and coach all of these years,” Amatyleon said. “We made a great team as they wanted to learn everything about doubles and I was happy to teach them everything.

“Not only are they fun to be around during practice and matches, but they are also genuinely super nice and kind young girls that I was honored to have in my program.”

While Amatyleon was able to teach the fundamentals, it took a trait that was prevalent in both Bird and Reed for them to achieve success at a high level.

“They don’t give up and more importantly, they listen to me and do exactly as I say when it comes to strategizing,” Amatyleon said. “Their keys to success was knowing that they could win any match and walked on the court with that confidence.

“They fought through slow starts and stayed calm when down. Mentally they knew they could always right the ship and get back into any match.”

The tenacity and determination was showcased in their final high school event, the state tournament in suburban Chicago.

“We never, ever gave up, no matter how much we were losing,” Bird said. “During state, in one of the matches, we were down 2-5 (against Dunlap) in the first set and ended up winning the set 7-5.

“Another match during state against Maroa-Forsyth, we were completely crushed by them in the first set, losing 1-6. Then in the second set, we came back and won the set 6-4.”

Bird and Reed then took the tiebreak, 10-7, against an opponent from Macon County they had lost to three times and who had been ranked No. 1 in the state during the regular season.
“This showed how we never give up on each other,” Bird added.

Reed described the weekend at state as “surreal” and called the three-set victory over the Maroa-Forsyth duo as “incredible.”

She added: “We accomplished way more than imagined, and I got to do it with one of my best friends. We went into every match knowing it could be our last, and that pushed us to play the best we have all season.

“Overall, the weekend went better than we could have imagined, and I am very thankful for this season. It was achieved through hard work and the incredible coaching we’ve received.

“We surprised ourselves at the state tournament by playing better than we ever had, and beating teams that were ranked higher than us going in.”

Reed came to understand how quickly momentum can shift in tennis.

“Tennis as a game can have such dramatic swings in the scoring between sets,” she said. “For instance, in one of our state matches we lost the first set 1-6 (to Maroa-Forsyth) and then proceeded to win the match by winning the next two sets.

“We prevent teams from being let back in during the second set by keeping the same mentality as we had going in. We keep our spirits high and continue to vocalize.”

The Bird-Reed pairing only materialized prior to their senior season.

They each qualified for state in doubles a year ago, with partners who were then seniors. Bird was with Holland Martin and Reed was paired with Elena Religioso. Bird and Martin also qualified for state in 2023.

“The natural step was for us was to then begin playing together for our senior year,” Reed said. “We have always been good friends, and the doubles partnership came naturally as a byproduct of that.”

They started their preparations indoors last January and had a bonus opportunity in the spring.

“During the spring we volunteered with the Mahomet boys’ tennis team where we were able to hit almost daily with the guys,” Reed said. “This greatly improved our strokes by playing better competition.”

When the boys’ season ended, it didn’t mean a break for Bird and Reed.

“Over the summer it came down to countless hours every single day of hitting and working on our doubles game play,” Reed said.

For Bird, the task of connecting on-court with Reed started in advance of them playing on the same side of the net.

As juniors in 2024, Bird and Martin formed the Bulldogs’ No. 1 doubles duo, with Reed and Religioso just behind. The four M-S teammates made great practice partners.

“That year, we played against each other so much because we were all so competitive with each other and had so much fun,” Bird said. “It was really cool and helpful that I played against Haley so much before actually playing with her.

“When we started playing together during the winter of my junior year, I knew how she would react because I had played against her so much and had picked up how she reacts to different shots, so I was more prepared.”

Still, there was a transition period which was negotiated during the off-season.

“When we first started, we definitely struggled because even though we knew how each other played, we still had to figure out how to work together and not against each other,” Bird said. “We were placed together mainly because both of our doubles partners were seniors and had graduated.”

Bird said she couldn’t have found a better partner for her senior year.

“Haley and I have been friends since sixth grade, and our friendship has grown into much more than friends,” she said. “I consider her my sister because she is one of the best people I know.

“I am so grateful that I got to play with someone that I consider to be my best friend and sister all in one.”

Reed said that their pairing turned into a dream matchup.

“I could never have gotten anywhere without Adella. She is a blessing to me by being an amazing partner, but even more, an amazing person,” Reed said.

“She shines light wherever she goes, and her positivity got us through some extremely challenging matches. She is the hardest working person I know, and her efforts truly paid off.”

How well did they click?

The results speak for themselves. They combined for a school-record 31-7 mark as seniors with 25 of the doubles victories occurring in straight sets.

They were conference champions in doubles and became the first M-S doubles team to place first at sectionals. All of their wins at conference, sectionals and their first three (of four) at state were straight-set triumphs.

Amatyleon was most pleased by another fact which didn’t show up in the stat sheets.

“They treated every opponent with kindness and respect before and after the match regardless of the outcome,” he said.
He had seen a tremendous progression in their level of play since they landed varsity spots.

“Over the years they have become more consistent and much more aggressive at the net with their poaching at the net,” he said. “Their groundstrokes have gotten stronger and their net game has really come along as they do a better job of putting a volley away the first chance they can.

“They are very consistent and play a fundamentally sound game.”

Reed said the friendship aspect was an important element as she and Bird began teaming up on the court.

“For Adella and I, our play became smoother when we began communicating,” she said. “The first couple of matches we played as doubles partners were rocky because we had just come from doubles pairings that looked very different.

“As we played more-and-more in the off season, our communication on the court increased. The more we talked on the court, the more functional our play style was.

“Another key aspect of our game was how supportive we are of each other. We found success in building each other up and constantly being complementary of each other during matches.”

Bird agreed that the mutual respect they have for one another was a significant factor.

“I think it was so helpful that we were friends before we had to learn how to work together on the court,” Bird said. “I appreciated how we never lost sight of how much we cared and valued our friendship, even when it got hard, like the times we lost.

“We never got mad at each other; instead, we worked together.”

That is not always the case.

“Playing against so many other teams, I have noticed that a lot of the time, doubles players can start to play like single players,” Bird said. “They turn on their doubles partner because they feel frustrated, and this never ends well for a team that does this.

“I loved how Haley and I never came to that, and we always figured out other ways to solve the problem when we felt like we weren’t playing at the best of our abilities.”

Though they were serious about tennis, Bird said there were moments where they lightened the mood, especially when the M-S boys’ soccer team had a home match across the street at Middletown Field.

“For the majority of the matches, we kept complete focus,” Bird said, “though sometimes, especially at home matches, we thoroughly enjoyed dancing after points to the soccer team’s warm-up music.

“Taking dance breaks between each point kept the mood upbeat and lots of fun.”

The girls have different strengths, which enhanced their pairing.

“Adella is definitely a better base-liner than me,” Reed said. “She excels at being back and making cross-court returns. She is phenomenal at keeping the ball in play and making strategic shot selection.

“In our pairing, I served the role of baselining from the ‘add’ side where I primarily hit the ball with my backhand. Adella baselined with her forehand. These two shot selections paired together work very well.

“I also preferred being at the net to volley while Adella was in the back because she would set me up perfectly to finish the point.”

One area where they are similar is in their collective faith.

“One thing that I felt really helped Haley and me play at the best of our abilities was praying before our match,” Bird said. “It truly kept things in perspective and allowed us to feel excitement and grateful for the moment, rather than feeling frustrated and scared.

“Both of us were just so grateful and happy to be there. My coach has been an amazing example and was a huge factor in us getting that far in state.”

Bird and Reed agree that Amatyleon can’t get enough credit.

“I was surrounded by incredible teammates and an extremely supportive coach,” Reed said. “Coach Alex has been pivotal in keeping my love for tennis thriving and I attribute a lot of my success to him.

“Coach Alex has fueled my love for the sport and turned me into the player I am today. His incredible coaching and supportive personality have been a pleasure to work with these past three years. He has helped me to continue loving tennis every morning I wake up. He also has been an awesome mentor to have in my life throughout the years, and I am forever grateful for him.”

Added Bird: “I will always stand by my belief that my coach is the best coach out there, and I can’t be convinced any other way.

“I hope that everyone finds either a sport or a hobby that they become passionate about and want to continue to get better at because it’s one of the best feelings.

As for the future, Bird and Reed are hooked on tennis and plan to play indefinitely.

For Bird, this isn’t a recent development.

As a junior, she said, “tennis had become almost like an addiction to getting better at it.”
She became the first Bulldog to win 100 career matches (combined singles and doubles) with her third win at state. She finished with 101 career wins.

Bird hopes to play in college, but if that doesn’t materialize, she will find other ways to keep in contact with the sport.

“I will always continue to play tennis,” she said. “Tennis has become much more than a sport. It has become a passion that I want to continue getting better at.

“I really love how tennis is a sport that someone can play even when not in school. I can see myself and Haley still dominating in our 80s and having a blast.”

Reed won’t pursue tennis in college, Instead, she will focus on her academic interests:
“I plan to major in finance and hopefully minor in theology,” she said. “Both are fields that I find very interesting, and I’m excited to start working towards my college degree next year.

“I hope to join a finance team for a major corporation.”

She will not forsake tennis.

“Despite not continuing to play college tennis, I know I will play the sport until I can’t stand,” Reed said, “I have fallen in love with tennis and will continue to find challenging people to play as I get older.

“Tennis was always appealing to me because it is such a versatile sport and every match is so unique. It never gets boring because there are always more techniques to learn.”

“Tennis will grow with me, I’m sure.”