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Selfless Schultz makes own niche Photo by Bob Pennell Leslie Schultz, above, has netted plenty of success while filling in at No. 1 singles for Jenny Brown this spring. North tennis ace is 6-1 at No.1 singles By KRIS HENRY North Medford High can be assured of one thing: Leslie Schultz will never leave the tennis team hanging in the balance. Schultz helped carry her team to the district tennis title last season, and when the need arose for someone to play No. 1 singles in the absence of Jenny Brown, the junior Tornado jumped at the chance. Having placed third in singles for North last season, the move to No. 1 certainly wasn't out of her reach. She has proven that time after time this season, posting a 6-1 mark at No. 1. Schultz, 17, gave way to freshman Annie Chaney and played No. 2 singles for Thursday's match with Roseburg. The No. 1 distinction stands to be turned over to Brown for the remainder of the Southern Oregon Conference season. Once again keeping up her end of the bargain, Schultz has no problem stepping aside to help her team. "I'm glad that I got to play No. 1," she says. "It helped me get seeded and now it's someone else's turn. "We want to bring home a trophy this year from state. That's what really matters." Schultz says she enjoyed stepping to the forefront while Brown, who is the top-ranked 16-under player in the Pacific Northwest, was off playing national tournaments. "It was my opportunity to show everyone that I can hold that No. 1 spot too," she says. Although some players shy away from the glare of the No. 1 position, North Medford coach Dale Jensen says Schultz took to it with relative ease. "Some girls are afraid of it and don't want it," he says. "I don't see that in Leslie. That's good. That's positive. "I think she likes No. 1 and she deserves to be No. 1 when Jenny's not there." Schultz took her first steps toward ascending the singles ladder in off-season workouts, striving to improve her quickness and overall fitness level. "I can get to the ball faster and that's helped me set up," Schultz says in evaluating her progress. "My weight training and work with coach Frank (Inn) has really helped a lot too. I'm more consistent." That hard work has paid dividends in all but one match, with Schultz admittedly suffering a break in confidence in an April 11 road loss to Alli Wilson of Klamath Union (6-3, 6-2). Wilson was the district's top seed last season as a freshman before falling to Brown in the final. Wilson advanced to the final by beating Schultz, 6-0, 6-0. "I want to beat her really bad," Schultz says of Wilson. "I'd like the chance to play her again and hopefully I can do better.'' Jensen says it's in that area of confidence where Schultz still needs some work. "That's difficult when you step up to the next level," he says. "You have to get the confidence as well as the game. She has the game, she just doesn't have the confidence in it just yet. She has the tools to beat an Alli Wilson at this stage, she just needs the confidence." Jensen says that confidence level has steadily risen during Schultz's turn at No. 1, and didn't wane recently when she dropped to No. 2 against Roseburg's Elisa Tryon. "(Thursday) night you could see in her eyes that she knew she was in charge," says Jensen. "She stepped right up and played a super match, and the girl she played is no slouch." In fact, Schultz barely edged Tryon for third place in last year's district tournament, winning 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. With her new attitude, Schultz breezed to a 6-0, 6-1 victory on Thursday. And now with Brown back in the fold, Jensen says even greater strides could be made by both players as the high school season winds down. "These girls are competitive," he says of Schultz and Brown, a sophomore who attends St. Mary's but is allowed to play at North because the former doesn't have a tennis team. "They wouldn't be where they are in tennis today if they weren't competitive. I hope they can get to the point where they feel they can push each other and also do what's best for the team concept." If history is a foreteller, then Schultz is sure to return that volley with ease. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA