Tennis Talent Trio

When you think of siblings in tennis or siblings in sports for that matter, the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) and the Bryan brothers (Mike and Bob) tend to come to mind. But those are only duo tandems. Have you heard of the dynamite tennis trio at Bishop Kelley? Amy, Andrea and Abby Lewis make up the triple threat at Kelley and are looking to help the team repeat as state champions. Last season the women's tennis team at Bishop Kelley knocked off southeastern Oklahoma foe Ada for the state title and has already defeated them once again this year in the early part of the season. And Abby believes they have a great chance to repeat this year. "We only lost two players from last year's team and we have a lot of depth going into the season," she said. The Lewis sisters all started playing tennis at the young age of eight. Amy and Andrea are both sophomores this year while their older sister Abby is a junior. At age 10, all three of the sisters started playing in local competitive tournaments. At age 12, they began competing in the five-state Missouri Valley Junior Circuit. From there, the girls went to school at Monte Cassino and continued to play tennis together. Now all three sisters are playing high school tennis with each other at Kelley. When asked where they got their love of tennis, all three responded "from our parents." Amy, Andrea and Abby all love playing tennis with one another and it seems to have its advantages. "We always have a cheering squad no matter what," said Amy. That is not the only perk, either. "We will always have someone to practice with. And since we play together so often we can help each other out since we know one another's strengths and weaknesses," said Abby. The sisters do get to practice together all the time, but when they hit the court for competition, they do not. Amy plays doubles and her partner is not one of her sisters. Abby and Andrea both prefer to play singles. While they may not all physically play together during meets, they all agree that winning for the team is more fulfilling. "We are all very competitive, individually and as a team. But we like school tennis because we play it as a team sport, not individually," said Andrea. When asked about the possibility of college and tennis, they all said that would have to be decided later. So if you enjoy watching tennis that is very competitive, you should check out the Bishop Kelley women's team. Not only will you get to see a defending state champion squad but you will also have the chance to watch three very athletic and competitive young ladies, the Lewis sisters. Now get out there and see Tulsa's version of siblings that could make it big, all in the same sport.