Stahlhuth leads Bayless Bronchos tennis teams into fifth season

With the start of the 2024-25 school year here, USTA St. Louis is featuring the Bayless High School tennis teams and Head Coach Kelly Stahlhuth.

It has been five years since the Bayless High School tennis program was revived, and Athletic Director Kelly Stahlhuth has kicked things into high gear for the Bayless Bronchos.

“Bayless High School girls’ and boys’ tennis teams have established their presence in the school,” said Stahlhuth, the head coach of both squads. “We are adding new, talented players every year, and our veteran players return with a passion to improve and grow their skill sets. We are entering our fifth year, and I look forward to getting out on the tennis court for our first practice.”

Before their renewal, the Bayless High School tennis teams had not existed since the late 1980s. The team persevered through the COVID-affected year of 2020 with a coed team but soon grew large enough to have separate boys’ and girls’ teams.

“I feel that the revival of adding tennis to the Bayless High School community shows the Bayless School District’s commitment to offering new opportunities to our students,” Stahlhuth said. “The interest was there even during COVID, so that was a great sign. It is just wonderful to see those students who sign up to play on our no-cut team, and then they fall in love with the sport. What more could a coach ask for?”

Since tennis is still newer to Bayless, Stahlhuth has put in the perpetual work to continue to grow and develop the program.

“We hope to one day have two courts on campus so we can reach our younger students and help build a tennis foundation before they even reach high school,” Stahlhuth said. “This is on the radar, but an exact date is still to be determined. This is wonderful news that these discussions are happening.”