To Serve an Ace

Caitlin and Courtney Kutch have friendly competitions all the time on the tennis court. The twin sisters from Putnam City North help each other in singles play and are doubles partners. While they help each other out, they also give each other ribbings. Who hit the best shot? Who had the best save? And occasionally, who got the best ace? "That's usually the biggest bragging rights with that because it's so tough to do, especially at our level," Courtney said. "It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's something to talk about." The sisters usually don't try to get aces. They're not big hitters. Both like to get the first serve in and play from there. But when the situation presents itself, they go for it, like a dunk in basketball, a big hit in football or a home run in baseball. "It's a nice benefit when it happens," Caitlin said. "When you serve an ace it gives you a lot of confidence in your serve. It gives your opponent less confidence, too. No one likes an ace served on them." The sisters watch to see if their opponent is too far to the left, too far to the right or might be surprised by a hard serve right at them. They don't do anything different; they just go for the slam. "It's exciting, definitely a big deal," Courtney said. "It pumps you up a lot for the next couple of points. Sometimes it makes the other opponent frustrated. It gives you a big boost of power."