08/27/2026
During any given practice or meet, history walks the Hendersen / Guenther tennis complex at Ottawa Township High School (OTHS). Former Ottawa Pirate Tennis coach and namesake of the facility - Lyle Guenther - is a regular presence in the stands, cheering on the Pirates rain or shine.
“When I think about Ottawa tennis, I think about legendary careers from coaches that have pulled exceptional amounts of success out of the students that have gone through our program” says newly minted Lady Pirates tennis coach Kevin Olesen, who reflected on his own time in the boys program as a student-athlete from 1997 to 2000. “I was coached by Tom Henderson,” he explained, referencing the other tennis titan honored on the OTHS courts. “I remember being on the courts with Coach Henderson and (former OTHS tennis player) Don Harris would show up and assist and push us and work with us, and it was a real communal effort to produce the most active, thriving tennis community that we could, and I'm just happy that I was a part of that.”
Olesen, who also played soccer at OTHS and most recently helmed the boys’ soccer program, is shifting gears to become the latest leader in that historic communal effort, taking over the Lady Pirate tennis program after a successful 20 year run by head coach Steve Johnson. Olesen’s goal is to keep OTHS tennis history “active” and “thriving” by continuing a tradition of winning.
“My goal coming in is to be competitive in the conference every year - to have players play well at the sectional tournament and then advance to the state tournament,” says Olesen, while admitting he has a bigger goal in mind for each of his players. “I just want my players to love tennis. It is one of those sports that you can continue to play for your entire life. And we have such a community of family members who've passed that passion on to their own children.” That includes Olesen’s three children. His son played on the boys’ team, and his two daughters are coming through the program he now coaches.
One personal measure of success for Olesen as a head coach isn’t by how many wins or losses are accumulated. It’s by the number of players who move on from OTHS to the next level. “To see our players succeed here is the primary goal, but if they can love the sport and continue playing - and get an opportunity to do it in college – that is the ultimate goal.”
After graduating from OTHS in 2000, Olesen joined the tennis squad of Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) and reached the NJCAA National Championship. “My college experience was wonderful,” he explained. “I made great friends. We saw a lot of success. We got to travel the country, doing something collectively that we'd love to do, which was hit tennis balls and win matches.”
Olesen is now the 7th head coach of the Lady Pirates Tennis team. Since its inception in 1976, the program has won 32 IHSA Sectional titles, a school record for any sport team. 13 of those titles came under the direction of recently retired head coach Steve Johnson.
Olesen says Johnson and assistant coach Tracey O’Fallon remain on board his Pirate ship as he charts a steady course ahead for his players this fall. “I think success is making sure that when they step on the court every day, they feel more confident about one aspect of their game,” Olesen says. “I just I thoroughly enjoy working with the athletes. I like to push kids. I like to make sure that they understand that athleticism on a tennis court goes beyond just your ability to swing a racket. It's about your intelligence on the court. It's about your movement on the court and just making the game, which is incredibly complex, as easy and intuitive as it can be for the individual.”
