Laux doubles up foes

Molly Laux was a premier doubles player for the Staples girls tennis team. A captain before graduating last month, she was a First Team All-FCIAC selection at first doubles this past year and an All-FCIAC West selection her sophomore and junior years.

"It was a very big honor because to have something in common with Greenwich and New Canaan girls is exciting," Laux said.

She always wanted to play doubles since freshman year when she was on JV because everyone played only at doubles on JV and that's when her love of tennis bloomed. During the winter of her sophomore year, she learned about the strategies of doubles every weekend while attending a doubles clinic at the Four Seasons Racquet Club in Wilton.

All the practice paid off and Laux made varsity sophomore year. After a couple of matches at third doubles, she moved up to second doubles and remained there until the end of her junior year.

"There were so many girls at tryouts and I wasn't sure if I'd make the team and I said to myself, `I'd be happy if I made JV again.' In the end, I made the team and I was psyched," she recalled.

Once Laux was on varsity, she helped make doubles a strong point for Staples. She was rarely on the losing end at both second and first doubles and was instrumental in the whole team's overall success.

"Molly's been an anchor in our doubles lineup since she started her staples career," Lady Wreckers Coach Casey DeVita said. "Not only is she technically a great player but is very intuitive on the court. Her court sense and positioning doubles is really outstanding."

Laux's outgoing personality, coupled with her desire to have a teammate on the court with her, made her well-suited for doubles. Her teammates voted her as being kindest to her opponent.

"It's really exciting when your partner has your back and you cover for them and develop chemistry with them," she said.

She relished the award from her teammates.

"Being mean to my opponents doesn't benefit me and I always tried to be on good terms with them," Laux said.

In choosing between the baseline and net, she prefers the latter. In fact, her love of playing at the net helped her gravitate towards playing doubles. At the net, she has an excellent overhead forehand slam, which she hit many times for winners.

"I'm not the most powerful baseline player and I'm stronger at the net," Laux said. "As a soccer goalie, I have quick reflexes and being at the net helps me with it. I practice my slams over and over again and I'm able to set myself up well at the net and use angles."

Although she stronger at the net, she's also proficient on the baseline.

"You have to be able to play well defensively, especially when playing against stronger teams," she said. "You have to hit it back and hope they make a mistake. You also have to hit good shots and set up your partner to poach it."

The southpaw Laux possesses a consistent serve and rarely double faults.

"Serving was never a strong point of mine," she said. "I don't have too many double faults because I don't take too many chances with my second serve. In my first serve, I try to put the ball in at a certain angle and being a lefty gives me a huge advantage when you are serving."

She first hit a tennis ball at age 4 and became a serious player in sixth grade at Shore Haven Country Club. Soccer was the first sport she began to play in earnest, starting in kindergarten before hanging up her cleats after her junior year. Laux also skied for Staples all four years.

Leadership is a strength of hers as she served as captain of the ski and tennis teams. She led by example through her work ethic and verbally by encouraging her teammates.

"I loved being captain," she said.

DeVita was impressed and said, "As far as leadership, it doesn't get better than that. She has among the best attitudes I ever seen in a high school player. She's always positive and never let us down in terms of setting an example for her teammates. She will be sorely missed, definitely in our doubles lineup for sure, but I'm confident she's really taught the younger girls in how to go about in playing aggressive doubles. Her infectious smile will definitely be missed."

Academically, Laux took four AP courses and is a high honors student. Science is her favorite subject.

"I found when I was in a sport, I was a lot more focused because I got my work done and I didn't procrastinate," she said.

Next year, she will attend the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill. Laux hopes to major in chemistry or something in the medical field.

She also hopes to play club tennis at UNC and knows in order to make the team, she'll have to raise her game to the next level.

"I'm going to work hard over the summer and see how it goes," Laux said.