Madalyn Baurle has been a doubles player her whole career playing tennis at Seymour, but heading into her senior season this spring, the Owls needed her to play a different role.

Seymour lost seniors who filled the two singles, three singles and one doubles spots from last season’s team. Baurle played two doubles on varsity last year with Elise Hartung.

The duo went 19-1 together, owning the school record for wins at two doubles.

“It was great,” Baurle said. “I loved it. It was all so much fun, and it was a great year.”

But running it back at doubles with Hartung wasn’t an option this year. Head coach Sharon Wood needed to find two and three singles players to slot behind Brooke Schafstall at No. 1.

After competing in challenge matches, Baurle was put at the No. 2 spot and Hartung at No. 3.

“It has been difficult, but I’ve enjoyed the different type of scene,” Baurle said.

The senior is fresh off of a 6-0, 6-0 win against Madison on Thursday night.

The most difficult thing about making the transition from doubles to singles, Baurle says, is the mental side of the game.

“When playing doubles, you can cheer on your partner, but when you’re playing singles, you’re by yourself,” she said. “I just tell myself, ‘You’ve got this, one point at a time.’”

Each match, Baurle is seeing the opponent’s second-best singles player. She knows her team is counting on her to pick up a point, so is there pressure? Sure, but the senior embraces it.

“It’s OK,” she said. “Pressure is good.”

Before a match, Baurle will go into the locker room and chat with the freshmen and sophomores on the team. She said they’ll goof off and have fun, and then she’ll come out to start warmups.

When hitting back-and-forth with her opponent prior to the match, Baurle will try to identify areas she can exploit once the match gets rolling.

“I always set little goals,” she said. “I always watch the opponent, see where she’s weak at, whether it’s her serve or up at the net, so I can take advantage and get the next point. I just think of one point at a time and try not to hit a winner right away.”

Over the years, Baurle feels like she has improved the most with the mental game tennis is, and she also thinks her ground strokes have gotten better.

“Usually, they are pretty flat, but I think I’ve gained more of a spin on them,” she said.

Baurle’s older sister played tennis, so it was easy for her to gravitate toward this sport. Thursday’s match with Madison also marked Baurle’s senior night. She was honored before and after the match along with Hiley Obermeyer and Carley Sanders.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “It doesn’t feel like my senior year at all, but I know I only have one month left. I’m excited for my next chapter, though.”

That next chapter will feature majoring in biology at Purdue University with the intention of going into premed. Baurle’s brother is on the premed track at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis right now.

But Baurle still has plenty of matches left in her senior season. The Owls’ schedule is about to ramp up in terms of the level of competition. Baurle feels like the team is starting to get into a rhythm.

“It has been difficult, but I think we’re doing a pretty good job of filling the spots the seniors last year left,” she said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. It was hard because our matches got canceled a lot due to rain, so now, I feel like we’re finally picking up speed and getting our matches in.”

Baurle admits it will feel weird to leave the Seymour tennis family after this season, but she said she expects to come back and watch them next season when she has the free time to come down from West Lafayette.

Of all of the wins and success Baurle has had on the court so far in her career, it has been the memories off of the court that stand out the most.

“I definitely enjoyed the bus rides and also the games that we play during practice because everyone gets so competitive, and it’s super fun,” she said.