Dec. 7—DANVILLE — As Reese Rundle took a moment to reflect on her favorite moment from the last women’s tennis season, Anna Houpt knew exactly where to go.
“The state experience as a whole is unmatched, but in particular, Saturday at State is always a great experience,” Houpt said. “You’re grateful that you’ve made it this far and after that, no matter what happens, you have something to be proud of.”
At this point, Rundle had her answer, but she waited until her teammate was finished.
“This year it was surreal. Our first game on Saturday, I don’t think we’ve ever played like that,” Houpt continued, stopping to laugh after Rundle admitted she stole his answer. “We were just on a mission and we knew we had nothing to lose.”
That didn’t change Rundle’s feeling. In fact, it only made him stronger.
“The way we played, I don’t know what happened, but we were playing so well,” Rundle added. “If it had been any other way, it would have been close. I’m grateful that we played our best and had that determination to win. It was fun to play that well.”
The match they were both referring to was their Class 1A state doubles quarterfinal against Hailey Goins and Teodora Savic of Hinsdale South, a match the Danville duo won convincingly 6-2, 6-0 .
That propelled the Vikings to the semifinals, where they fell 6-2, 6-1 to eventual state champions Shane Delaney and Clare Lopatka of Benet Academy. Houpt and Rundle then defeated the second Benet Academy team of Natalie Grover and Katie Jendra 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the consolation match, giving them third place, the highest ranking in the Danville tennis history.
It also earned them co-News-Gazette Women’s Tennis Player of the Year honors, only the third time in the award’s 21-year history that it has gone to a pair, following Madison Scaggs and Victoria Gonzalez of Centennial in 2016 and St. Thomas More’s. Noelle Schacht and Maddy Swisher in 2019.
“It’s fun to watch,” said Kathy Houpt, Danville coach and Anna’s mother. “They were a team, they were great friends and they had a common goal. They had something that you can’t really duplicate.”
The reality is that you could rarely bring up Anna’s name this fall without also mentioning Rundle and vice versa. They went 36-3 as a doubles team, winning a Big 12 conference and a sectional championship.
What’s even more impressive is how they played simultaneously in singles. Anna compiled a record of 20-1 at No. 1 singles, and Rundle was 19-2 at No. 2. They could have easily competed as singles players in the postseason — they both made the state tournament in 2023 — but they decided before the season even started that they would have a better chance of showing up in the State as partners.
“Since the summer, we were on a mission,” Anna explained. “We both decided mentally before the season started, ‘This is what we’re going to do. We know what we can do.’ I love playing singles, but doubles is a whole different game. It’s easier to relax and have fun playing with Reese.”
The key to their success is the relationship they have built over the past two years. They have always been friends, but their on-field chemistry took time to develop. Kathy said they weren’t ready to make the playoffs as a doubles team last year, and after looking back, they agreed.
“Our first year as a doubles team, we bonded well, but there was no chemistry in our game,” Rundle said. “We were both singles players before this, so having to work together on what we’re good at was very difficult to perfect. This year something clicked, and it felt like everything was perfect every time. game that we had was definitely useful and necessary.”
Plus, before they discovered they could thrive playing together, they just didn’t know who was going to take charge.
“Last year was a little strange because we had both played with former seniors before, and we weren’t in the lead role. We were more looking at each other like, ‘What now?'” , Anna said. “After overcoming our nervousness and overthinking, we were confident and trusted each other.”
Needless to say, it worked. Their third-place finish at state marked the third straight year the Vikings, specifically Anna, made state school history. Anna teamed with Lexi Ellis, the News-Gazette’s 2022 Player of the Year, to place fifth in doubles her freshman year, the highest ranking in Danville State at the time. Last season, Anna won Player of the Year after finishing in the top eight in singles, another top placement at Danville. And sure enough, Anna and Rundle surpassed the doubles result from two years ago.
Although Anna made a habit of writing the story, it was Rundle’s first time, and she realized it as soon as it happened.
“Literally right after the last point, after the ball bounced, it hit me,” Rundle said. “I was just overwhelmed with emotion, like, ‘That was my last game.’ All that hard work made it a bundle of joy. It was worth it, and it was so much fun. It really hit me at the time. It still makes me emotional and sad. happy because we finished with a good grade.
Anna and Rundle’s accomplishments are a product of all the successes of Danville players before them. This also turns into a long queue. Rachel Lewis was the first Viking to win Player of the Year in 2013. She laid the foundation for Lauren Ellis to win it in 2018, and Lexi Ellis did so four years later while leading the third place team.
A Viking – at least one Viking – has now won the award three years in a row after Anna and Rundle took it to another level. They are shaping the current underclass to take over and continue this tradition.
“Anna and Reese were fortunate to play on a really, really strong team that finished third at state, and they were both young at the time. They watched that and then paved the way for the next “Kathy said. “Reese is leaving, and Anna has another year, but we have several freshmen coming in. I don’t know what level they’re going to be at, but it’s good to see people passing it on, and the Danville tennis has been able to do that. Anna and Reese have set the bar very high, and you hope it can continue.”
