“She’s the most mentally tough tennis player that I’ve ever coached.” Fountain Central coach David Kight gave the ultimate praise to one of the greats to come through the Mustang tennis program for recent graduate Haley Webb.
For Webb, the sport of tennis is literally in her blood. With Haley’s dad Chris Webb being a longtime FC tennis coach, the sport came naturally to Haley. This past season on the court, Haley was leader of the Mustangs who had a season to remember. Fountain Central ended the season 15-2 and their final loss was to Carmel in the Regional Final.
The season resulted in another sectional title with Webb being at the forefront of it all. The last two seasons Haley has been the No. 1 singles player for FC and has been one of the most consistent players to come through the program in quite sometime.
Webb’s record in her four seasons with the Mustangs was a staggering 76-13.
“Haley was just one of those players where you knew she was going to come through for one of those three wins that we needed,” Kight said. “Having that luxury with a player like Haley is very nice to have because you know what she’s going to do. As a coach knowing what she’s capable of, it allows me to focus on some other matches that are a little closer. When she was a freshman, Haley had probably the level of understanding of the game of what a junior or even senior should have and that just comes from her being around the game for so long.”
In her four seasons, the accomplishments and accolades that Webb has under her belt make her one that will be talked about and mentioned in FC girls tennis history. Webb gets to add one more achievement to her career as she is the 2024 Journal Review Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
Whether it was beginning her career at two singles in her freshman and sophomore year or dominating the competition at one singles the last two years, Webb noted how she enjoyed every second of being a Mustang.
“First of all this past season was one that I’m going to remember for awhile,” she said. “Getting to play with my younger sister (Elise) and having my dad out there coaching was truly something special. Getting to have the year we did as a team too made it all the better. I’m really close with all of these girls. Tennis is just a wonderful sport that I’ve seen myself grow so much. My freshman and sophomore year at two singles gave me a great base and foundation for when I stepped up to one singles.”
As with every great player in every sport, coaches remember the first time they realized that they had a special talent on their hands. The same holds true for Kight and Webb as he details the moment he knew that Webb was going to be great.
“Haley was probably about seven or eight matches into her freshman year and she had lost maybe just once,” Kight said. “In the bi-county she beat a girl from Covington pretty good who I knew was a very good player. Then in her sophomore year she was just dominant at two singles and I thought to myself right then that if that is what we were getting from her in her first and second year then we’d be in phenomenal shape moving forward. Her desire to win, often times trumped the fact that her opponent hit the ball a little better and was maybe a little more physically talented. She just had a willingness to chase down any ball and her mental game was just un-matched.”
Webb credited her mental game to simply just being around the game for as long as she has.
“I’ve had an advantage of being able to watch tennis pretty much my entire life,” she said. “One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned from being around the game is that the match is never over and you can always come back and win. Every game and every set is a fresh start. Ultimately I just told myself it was one point at a time and that’s the mindset you have to have if you want to excel at this sport.”
Kight also noted how this season and specifically the Regional Final match against Carmel, was a great opportunity for his team and that a small school like the Mustangs are got to the chance to play one of the best programs in the state. Webb also took full advantage of that chance and even despite the loss, it was a great experience for Webb and the entire Mustang team.
“Us getting to a Regional Final allowed us to maximize this season and saw us get really everything out of it that we could’ve,” Webb concluded. “In a way our season was a great representation of who Haley is as a player because she always maximizes her ability when she’s on the court. We won some very tight 3-2 matches against some great competition and Haley was right there in front and of course a big reason why we got those wins.”
“It certainly was a humbling experience getting to play Carmel,” Webb added. “No matter what level you play at you know that there’s always usually someone who is better. I know I walked away from that match learning so much about myself and the sport as a whole. This sport has given me so much in my life and I’m forever thankful for everything.”
Webb leaves a legacy with the Mustangs that will be hard to match. With her younger sister only a sophomore, it’s safe to say Haley might be back to go support her family in the coming years.
