LEXINGTON — For Ron Schaub, tennis is all about having fun and Lexington’s veteran coach is still having a ball.
The ageless Schaub is in his 20th season as the Lex girls coach. In the previous 19 seasons, Schaub’s teams have won 18 conference titles and finished runner-up once. He also has led Lady Lex to five Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team title, including three straight from 2010 to 2012.
“I’m having fun and as long as I’m having fun I’ll continue to do it,” Schaub said shortly after finishing up a doubles match on a sun-soaked Wednesday afternoon at Lakewood Racquet Club. “One of the biggest factors in our success is having a club here. It’s a good way to get kids started early and interested in tennis. They look forward to working their way up to the (varsity) team.”
Schaub took over for John Harris before the 1995 season, piloting Lady Lex to the Ohio Heartland Conference crown. Lexington would win its fourth consecutive OHC title the following year before Ashland unseated Lady Lex in 1997.
The program hasn’t lost a conference championship since then. Lexington won the final five OHC titles before the league disbanded and has won all 11 Ohio Cardinal Conference titles.
For the record, Lexington has won 16 straight conference titles.
For even more perspective, some of the girls on the 2014 roster weren’t yet born the last time Lex didn’t win a conference title.
“I think the girls appreciate the tradition we’ve established here, but we don’t talk about it at all,” Schaub said. “We have two great captains this year in Alex Griebling and Jillian Earnest. They were on two state championship teams, so they have a sense of it.”
Lex has established itself as a state-wide power in the 2000s. Lady Lex won its first OTCA team title in 2006 (Division I). Division II team championships followed in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Lady Lex was third at last year’s team tourney and has its sites set on a return to state. Lexington was fourth in Division II in the first OTCA coaches poll, released earlier this week. Cincinnati Indian Hill was first, followed by Hathaway Brown and Kettering Alter. Indian Hill defeated Hathaway Brown in last year’s Division II state final.
“We’re trying to get to the Final Four for the 10th straight year,” Schaub said. “That is our goal, to get there. I don’t know if we can get there because (Toledo) Ottawa Hills is very strong.”
Lady Lex is 10-4 on the season and 6-0 in OCC duals. Lexington will host the OCC tourney Sept. 27.
“It’s always our first goal to win the conference championship,” Schaub said.
Another of Schaub’s goals is to see his players continue their careers at the college level. No fewer than four Lex products are currently playing at the college level, including Courtney Earnest (Division I Ball State).
“We figured it out one time, but I can’t remember how many girls have gone on to play in college,” Schaub said. “It always makes us proud to see the girls succeed at the next level.
“Hopefully, they will have good memories of the time they spent with us.”
