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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Otto, tennis a great match


Elise Otto serves up a tough task for her Greater Spokane League opponents. 
 (Brian Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Elise Otto believes this when it comes to team dynamics: Either it works, or it doesn’t. So for the Lewis and Clark senior, tennis seems to be a perfect fit.

Otto, regarded as the top girls singles player in the Greater Spokane League, has found that tennis allows her to have her cake and eat it too.

“I like singles because of the independence,” Otto said. “I still like doubles, but I love singles because it’s my game, and with tennis at (LC) it’s cool because I still get to be part of a team. … I played team sports when I was younger, like soccer, and it was just never quite my thing.”

Otto’s tennis career began in junior high and progressively developed into her focus. She became more interested throughout her junior high years, and by the time high school rolled around, Otto was playing year-round USTA tennis and working with a private coach.

She first was coached by Andy Jansen at the Spokane Racquet Club and started working with Eastern Washington University women’s coach Pat Dreves at the Spokane Club her junior year.

Things continued to get better for Otto. Two years ago, she barely missed out on a state trophy and last year she won her final match of the season to bring home the third-place trophy at the State 4A tournament.

“It’s been nice because my junior year I started working with Pat Dreves and it’s been really good,” she said. “It’s given me opportunities to advance and do things that I hadn’t been able to do before and keep getting better.”

According to LC coach John Kenlein, Otto is the kind of player any coach would be lucky to have.

“She doesn’t let up, she’s tenacious, she carries herself with confidence but it’s tempered by appreciation for the game,” Kenlein said. “She’s not an arrogant person. Her personality comes along very infrequently in the tennis community.”

So far this season, Otto is 2-0 in league matches and the LC Tigers are 3-0. Otto’s toughest match, against Ferris junior Katie Griffith, is approaching quickly. The two will meet Wednesday, but it won’t be the first time.

Longtime friends, rivals and sometimes teammates, Otto and Griffith always put on a good show. Griffith beat Otto last year during the regular season in three sets and Otto took home the district and regional titles.

“It’s nice to have someone else that is like me out there,” Otto said. “Katie is a great girl. She’s really smart and she is good competition for me.”

The two team up sometimes during the summer and play USTA doubles together. Otto admits it’s kind of a Catch-22 playing against someone who is a good friend.

“Katie’s style of play is kind of a nemesis for me. She has an annoyingly consistent backhand, and I like to get in my rhythm and hit the ball hard, and she kind of takes me out of that,” Otto said.

“It’s great to have her as competition I just wish I didn’t like her so much,” she added.

Outside of tennis, Otto isn’t your average kid. A valedictorian, Otto likes to backpack and has recently been helping teach tennis clinics at the Spokane Club. She also loves to write and to work with children in an after-school program.

“I kind of have a gift for crowd control,” Otto said.

In terms of tennis, she’s working on her net control, adding that her favorite stroke is quickly becoming her forehand.

“I’ve been trying to be more aggressive at the net,” Otto said. My game is headed toward finishing off at the net and I’m really working on that. There are always things to work on in tennis – always things to do.”

“I hated my forehand this summer, but it’s gotten a lot better and it’s becoming my favorite stroke. It was definitely an Achilles’ heel last summer.”

Whatever it is she is doing, it’s definitely working.