SUAMICO (NBC 26) — Playing two varsity sports in the same season is rare, but Alexia Stephens is pulling it off. The Bay Port High School sophomore is excelling in both volleyball and tennis this fall.
“It’s really exceptional to have a kid play multi-sports, especially in the same season,” said tennis head coach Steve Matuszewski. “The great part about Alexia is we just know that she’s going to put in the extra effort.”
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Volleyball head coach Ben Alexander-Wolf said Stephens’ ability to juggle both sports continues to impress him.
“I don’t know how she does it, because she can come from a tennis match and step on the floor and be crushing balls,” Alexander-Wolf said. “And she doesn’t come off the floor.”
Stephens finished the tennis regular season with an 18-2 record. On the volleyball court, she’s a key piece for the Pirates — playing all six positions — on a team that remains undefeated in conference play.
“She’s got a tremendous serve. She’s in our top three in aces and serving. She’s our kill leader,” Alexander-Wolf said. “I mean, she’s just a great all-around player. Our team is very successful, and a lot of it is run through her.”
Not only do volleyball and tennis sometimes have matches on the same day — meaning Stephens runs from a 4 p.m. singles match to a 7 p.m. volleyball game — but the teams also practice at the same time after school.
“Volleyball ends at 6, and so at either 6:30 or 7, I’d go and play tennis and do that for a couple hours,” Stephens said.
Matuszewski said she normally practices tennis on her own time with her family and that he never has to worry about her being unprepared for a match.
“What’s awesome about Alexia is all the work that she does kind of away from the team or behind the scenes that other people don’t get to see,” he said.
Balancing two sports is demanding — thriving in both is something else. Last year, Stephens placed third at state in doubles with her older sister as her partner and also helped lead Bay Port volleyball to its first-ever state appearance.
“It was definitely a stretch physically, but it kept me busy, so I didn’t really get much time to think about everything,” Stephens said.
With the state tennis tournament underway and volleyball chasing another deep playoff run, Stephens isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
