Why Bay Port tennis star and defending champ Karlie Schock withdrew from the state tournament

Posted by author October 16, 2024 Tennis

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Karlie Schock was faced with a difficult decision last week, one that didn’t have a right answer.

The Bay Port sophomore tennis star could compete in a USTA junior event in Minneapolis against some of the top players in the country, or she could defend her WIAA Division 1 state individual title after winning a sectional championship.

She would have loved to do both, but the WIAA has a rule that a student-athlete is not allowed to play in non-school competitions once the WIAA tournament series starts.

The rule states: “It is the philosophy of the Association that a student owes loyalty and allegiance to the school and team of which they are a member during the season of a given sport.”

So, what does a player do in a situation like this?

‘A really tough decision’ for Karlie Schock

Schock opted to compete in the USTA tournament and played well, finishing third overall and again showing why she is one of the best players in the country for the 2027 class and considered both a blue-chip prospect and a future NCAA Division I talent.

“It was a really tough decision,” Schock said. “I went back and forth on it all season, even when I was playing. It was definitely something I took all the pros and cons into and looked at all of the angles. In the end, I decided that playing this tournament would be best for my future.”

WIAA communications director Todd Clark said the organization will not reseed the state tournament despite the withdrawal of Schock, who earned the top seed.

The USTA event was the first non-school tournament Schock competed in during the high school season, although the WIAA allows athletes to play in a few before its tournament series begins.

Schock has so many opportunities, and she is so good, that competing for a high school team might not even be a consideration for a player in her position.

In many ways, she didn’t play this season for her own interests. She is part of a Pirates squad that was hoping to make the team state tournament for the first time in program history.

She competed in only 11 matches — there were other practice opportunities or chances to hit with her coach that prevented more — but the ones she did play in often were against better schools and competition.

Schock went 11-0 and did what she could to help Bay Port, but it finished runner-up to Green Bay Notre Dame at sectionals.

There was a strong chance had the Pirates reached team state that Schock would have decided to compete at both individual state this week and the team tournament next week instead of entering the USTA event.

“Last year was similar, but this year was 100% a lot more my team and hoping to put them in a better situation,” Schock said.

Schock went 16-1 as a freshman and made history by becoming the first local D1 girls player to win a state title since the tournament started in 1971.

She beat Lexie Hankel 6-1, 6-0 in the title match at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison and easily was the brightest star on the biggest stage, becoming the first D1 player since former Racine Case standout and University of Notre Dame recruit Bojana Pozder in 2018 to not drop a single set at state.

Hankel competed at Janesville Craig last season but transferred to West De Pere this summer entering her junior year.

There was a solid chance the D1 title match would have featured two Green Bay-area players, considering Hankel earned the No. 2 seed for state.

The two played in a sectional championship last week, with Schock winning 7-6, 6-0.

Schock would have entered state as a strong favorite to repeat after her dominating first season and the way she played in her second.

Nobody can know for sure if she would have pulled it off, and Schock is far too humble to guarantee it would have happened.

“I mean, I played a lot of good girls this past week in sectionals and ended up being successful,” Schock said. “But there were also a lot of close matches. You never know at state. There is a lot of pressure involved. It’s lots of fun because of that, but there is a lot of outside pressure and people watching. When you are playing for your team, it’s a whole type of different feeling.

“I feel pretty confident in my game, but I know I would have some really good matches and have some fun at state if I was able to do that.”

Defending state champion content with her decision

Perhaps the bigger question is if Schock should have had to make any choice at all. As difficult as it was and still is, she is content with her decision.

But she would have loved to compete at state.

A rule is a rule, and Schock knew what she was doing and what she was sacrificing, but it doesn’t mean she agrees with it. Schock wasn’t complaining or seeking sympathy, she simply was asked a question and answered it.

“Honestly? I don’t understand it at all,” Schock said. “Especially since it didn’t conflict with any subsectional, sectional matches that would get you into state or qualify you for state. I played the required amount of matches — six conference ones, I believe — that makes you eligible for your conference awards or state. It didn’t conflict with any of the state dates. I don’t really understand the rule completely.”

The next year will be another big one for Schock. College coaches can start calling her in June. Scholarship offers and campus visits follow later in the summer.

Schock wants to play in college rather than go professional out of high school. There are a growing number of pro players who have come up through the college ranks, which wasn’t always the case.

Emma Navarro is a recent example on the women’s side. She competed at Virginia and has been as high as No. 8 in the WTA rankings since turning pro in 2022.

“There are a lot of different pathways in getting to professional tennis,” said Schock, whose mother, Katie, is a former pro who appeared several times in doubles competition at Grand Slam events after attending Stanford. “I have chosen one that I do want to go to college before, hopefully, playing on the pro tour and being successful in that.”