Pride, La., isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think five-star athlete, but it’s exactly where LSU women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis found Whitney Wolf, the No. 33-ranked player in the NCAA.
Wolf grew up in Pride, where she first grabbed a racket at 8 years old. Tennis was a welcome activity in a sleepy town.
“There is nothing there,” said Wolf of her hometown. “There’s not even a stoplight.”
When Wolf reached third grade, her mother, Tracy Hanks, pulled her and her brother out of the local school and decided to home-school them.
“We would wake up early in the morning, but we didn‘t have to start at a specific time,” Wolf said. “She would have a certain amount of work assigned for us each day, and we would get it done.”
The transition from classroom to home school was an adjustment, but tennis remained constant.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Wolf said. “I would have lessons at 7 in the morning, twice a week, from the time I was 9 years old until I was 15. My mom would just go out and feed baskets of balls to me.”
As time passed, Wolf continued to excel on the court under the tutelage of coach Kirsty Llewellyn Berthelot.
Berthelot played collegiate tennis at LSU under Minnis from 1993 to ’96.
By the time high school rolled around, Wolf had become a five-star prospect according to tennisrecruiting.net. She was the top player in Louisiana and the No. 2 player in the South.
When the time came to choose a college, it was a no-brainer for the star. After a strong showing in the Southern Regional tournament, Wolf got a call from Minnis.
“He said that he wanted to talk to me. He offered me, and I accepted,” Wolf said. “I really liked him and the team that was here.”
The fact Berthelot played for Minnis gave the Tigers head coach a leg up in recruiting Wolf.
“I’m sure Kirsty helped push her this way,” Minnis said. “I think Whitney wanted to stay close to home.”
Although Wolf spent the better part of a decade under Berthelot, their playing styles contrast.
“It’s actually a complement to Kirsty that she developed her the way that she did because the style of play that Whitney has is the perfect style for her game,” Minnis said. “Kirsty had the foresight to see that, even though Kirsty had a different style to her game. Kirsty played more defensively, where Whitney plays more aggressively.”
That aggressive style of play paid immediate dividends when Wolf arrived on campus.
As a freshman, Wolf won 15 singles matches and knocked off a ranked opponent, UCLA’s Maya Johansson, in straight sets.
All the while, Wolf adjusted to the classroom setting.
“It really wasn’t that bad,” Wolf said. “Especially because in college you basically teach yourself, but it kind of sucked having to sit in class.”
Tennis remained the constant, and her best play was yet to come.
As a sophomore, Wolf teamed up with newcomer Keri Frankenberger in doubles. Their wins came in bunches.
The duo went 10-5 a year ago in the No. 1 slot. With the wins came a special relationship outside the white lines.
“We’re really close off of the court,” Frankenberger said. “We spend holidays together.”
Wolf and Frankenberger got the 2011 season underway in style cruising to a 3-0 record during the weekend.
The third and final win over the weekend came in convincing fashion, 8-2, against the No. 16 team in the country from the University of Virginia.
The pair aspires to crack the NCAA top 10 this spring, but Wolf’s goals don’t stop there. The junior hopes to reach the top 10 in singles, as well.
Wolf notched a pair of singles victories over the weekend before dropping a tough three-set match to close out the UVA Winter Invitational.
“She’s becoming a great competitor, and I think her best tennis is ahead of her,” Minnis said. “If she continues to work like she is and stays focused, then I think you’re going to see one heck of a player when it’s all said and done.”
 
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Contact Hunt Palmer at [email protected]