Community Sports

Peninsula senior McKenna Baurichter looks to hold serve at district tournament

McKenna Baurichter has proven to be one of the best female tennis players to have served, volleyed or backhanded balls over the Peninsula High School nets.

She won a South Sound Conference singles title as a sophomore and a Puget Sound League doubles title as a junior. Now a senior, Baurichter begins a quest to reach the Class 3A state tennis tournament at the District III championships on May 15 and 16 at the Boeing Tennis Center in Kent.

Baurichter employs superior athleticism and a savvy, intellectual approach on the court. But she’s not brash or loud. You won’t find her pumping a fist after a winning shot.

McKenna Baurichter after winning a league doubles championship last year. Photo by Peninsula High School tennis

Instead, she’s polite and friendly with an easy-going smile. But don’t be fooled. Underneath her soft exterior is an intense competitor whose neon orange Wilson tennis racquet has racked up victims all across the Puget Sound region.

Relative new devotee to the sport

After watching Baurichter compete, one may think she’s been playing since she was a little girl. But Baurichter didn’t grow up hitting tons of tennis balls in her youth.

She played other sports, including volleyball and soccer. That took her away from years of formal tennis training that some of her competitors enjoyed, but Baurichter rose to elite status anyway.

And that mostly comes from her natural gifts of hand-eye coordination, athleticism and a fluidity of movement that allows her quick feet to run down balls from all over the court.

She also has balance, timing and broad shoulders that transfer plenty of power to her ground strokes. Most importantly, she has a burning desire to succeed.

Baurichter began to fall in love with the sport after taking 10 days of tennis lessons before her freshman season.

She struck gold when her father, Paul, signed her up with Ian Skidmore, a superior teacher and former Peninsula assistant coach.

McKenna Baurichter of Peninsula has won league championships as both a singles and a doubles player. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Game recognize game

Skidmore grew up practicing against guys like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in Florida. He was a two-time All-American doubles player at the University of Kentucky.

“I had so much fun and learned so many things quickly from him,” Baurichter said. “He definitely knew what he was talking about and he made me want to play more and more tennis.”

Skidmore, who has since moved to Florida, remembers a young girl with raw athletic talent and a unique drive.

“McKenna stood out to me from my first interaction with her on the court,” Skidmore said. “Her ability to listen to instruction and quickly incorporate that into her game was very impressive.”

“It was obvious that she had the athleticism to be a great player. It does not surprise me that she has advanced at an accelerated rate. She was a hard-working, competitive young lady with all the attributes to make it to the next level.”

Baurichter remembers their interaction fondly. She said she hopes “other young girls may read my story and choose to pick up a racquet and give tennis a try, because of so many of the positives that the sport has to offer. You’re outside, it’s a great workout and it’s competitive.”

The healthiest sport

Others have learned of the benefits of her sport. A a 2018 Mayo Clinic study determined that tennis is the “world’s healthiest sport.” The study focused on the sport’s positive effects on cardiovascular health, the cross-cognitive functioning involved in playing it, and the game’s social interaction impacts.

The study concluded that tennis added an average of 9.7 years to a person’s life span versus a sedentary lifestyle. Tennis beat out other high-endurance sports like soccer (4.7 years), swimming (3.7 years), and jogging (3.2 years).

Practicing what she preaches, Baurichter gave another sport a try this winter. Not surprisingly, she found success in her first year playing flag football, earning all-conference honors as a wide receiver and safety.

But tennis is by far her favorite sport and Baurichter knows what it takes to win on the hard courts.

Baurichter’s style

Blessed with patience, Baurichter consistently keeps balls in play. She understands that a key aspect of winning at the high school level is to define your opponent’s weaknesses and force them into errors.

She also has a complex array of shots employing a change of pace. Her high, bouncing moon balls land inches from the baseline, while her cut drop shots land close to the net.

Another factor in her favor is a reliable first serve that is hit with pace to an opponent’s backhand. Her steady, cut second serve dives low and to the sideline.

Often in big matches, when the pressure mounts, slow paced second serves becomes a player Achilles heel. But Baurichter is steady mentally and her emotions remain controlled. She rarely gives away free points with double faults.

Doubles the fun

Baurichter vacated her singles position last year to play doubles with a close friend, Margaux Mayer.

McKenna Baurichter of Peninsula serves against a Puget Sound League opponent. Photo courtesy of McKenna Baurichter

The pair won a league title and qualified for the 2025 state tournament. Baurichter, who was mostly a baseliner, also discovered a new tool that could pay dividends to during this postseason.

As a young singles player Baurichter rarely went to the net. The doubles experience forced her to do that, and now her hands are quicker and her reflexes sharper.

“Playing doubles definitely helped me become more aggressive at the net, wanting to volley and end points quicker,” Baurichter said. “That doubles experience has definitely made me more well-rounded.”

Baurichter will graduate from high school in June with almost perfect grades and an associates degree via the running start program at Tacoma Community College. She will enroll at the University of Nevada, effectively as a junior, and major in biochemistry.

She’s thinking about attempting to walk on to a Nevada tennis team that lost five of its top nine players to graduation last season. Skidmore thinks she could blossom under the tutelage of college coaches.

“I’m definitely open to getting more into tennis that’s for sure. I don’t know, but I may consider trying,” she said.