Bernie Bryant’s 16th and final edition as coach of the Salem Lady Wildcats tennis team was arguably his best. The Lady Wildcats compiled a sparkling 40-4 record, which included a perfect 14-0 record against Apollo Conference competition. Salem was able to successfully defend its AC championship it won the previous year. It was also the program’s third conference title in four years and fourth in six seasons since Salem began play in the AC in the fall of 2003. Besides what they accomplished within the Apollo Conference, the Lady Wildcats won their own invitational tournament and finished runner-up at the Mattoon and Mt. Vernon invitationals. Salem also posted non-conference wins over Teutopolis, Carbondale, Flora, Fairfield (twice), Olney, Centralia and Greenville.

Salem’s regular season success carried over to the postseason as it scored 12 points and finished second at the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional. The Lady Wildcats trailed only the host school, which had handed Salem its lone dual match loss of the season.

The season did not end at the sectional for one Salem player. Senior Amanda Miller won four straight matches and did not drop a set en route to the singles championship. That included a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lawrenceville’s Ashley Linch in the finals. Miller continued that success in the opening round of state competition where she knocked off Beth Hughes of Cary Grove 6-1, 6-1. Miller suffered a straight-set loss to Cassie Kovach of Lisle Benet Academy and was eliminated in the consolation bracket with a three-set loss to Waterloo’s Rachel Webb.

Miller and fellow senior Lindsey Waters anchored the lineup for Salem in 2008 as both players were undefeated in Apollo Conference play. Both players received college scholarships as Miller moved on to SIUE and Waters to Rend Lake College. Shae Eblin, Bethany DeWitt, Annie Hassebrock, Jessica Piper, Breanna Barringer, Elizabeth Chapman and Alyssa Williams filled out the roster.

Front Row: Emily Lloyd, Melissa Cochran, Carrie Stremstafer, Erin Luallen, SarahBeth Ferrell.
2nd Row: Sundari Suppiah, Tina McCullum, Bethany Meyer, Kelly Harris, Heather Wilson, Jennifer Brewer.
3rd Row: Coach Brad Steig, Emily Nattier, Jennifer Wooters, Beth McNally, Jamie Githens, Jackie Armbrust, Erika Howard

Brad Stieg coached the Salem Lady Wildcats tennis program only one season, but that 1997 campaign was a historic one. Not only did the squad capture its first sectional championship, but it became the first girls’ tennis team in school history to be inducted into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Stieg inherited the team after Bernie Bryant had coached the program the previous five seasons. Bryant would return to his previous position in 1998.

Salem compiled a 29-9 record for the season, which included the championship of the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament. While winning that event was the highlight of the regular season, the Lady Wildcats postseason aspirations took a big blow when they only finished fourth out of six teams at the North Egypt Conference Meet.

Salem saved its best performance for the Olney Sectional as it tallied an event-high 24 points. That was six more than runner-up Flora’s 18.

Junior Bethany Meyer and freshman Sundari Suppiah led the Lady Wildcats postseason charge and earned state berths in singles competition. Meyer’s state berth was her second in as many seasons as she finished second overall. Suppiah punched her ticket with a fourth place effort.

On the doubles side the team of Heather Wilson and Jennifer Wooters got a first-round bye and a second-round win before falling in the semifinals. The other doubles team of Erika Howard and Jennifer Brewer contributed a first-round win before they lost in the second round.

Meyer and Suppiah lost their only singles match at state as inclement weather reduced play from double to single-elimination.

It took some time for Bryant to build up the program. That success started to arrive in 1997 when the Lady Wildcats won their first sectional championship. Ironically that was year Bryant stepped away from coaching, but nearly all of those players had played for Bryant in previous seasons and in summer competition.
Under Bryant’s direction Salem won its first North Egypt Conference championship in 2002, which happened to be the league’s final year of existence. The Lady Wildcats won another conference title the following season during its first year of competition in the Apollo Conference. Besides its championship in 2003 Salem won Apollo Conference titles again in 2005, 2007 and 2008. While Bryant missed out on Salem’s first sectional championship, the Lady Wildcats won three straight under his direction during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Besides the team’s success Bryant coached 26 players who qualified for state competition, 12 in singles and 14 in doubles from seven doubles teams. Two of Bryant’s players went on to play at Division I level, two more at the Division II level and several at the junior college level.

Bryant along with his wife, Linda, helped develop most of the high school players during the summer when he coached area youth in the United States Tennis Association. Among those players included his daughter Adrienne and sons Alex and Ethan. All three made significant contributions to the girls and boys tennis program at Salem Community High School. Bryant served as president of the Southern Illinois Tennis Association.

Bryant, who graduated from Olney High School, Olney Central College and Eastern Illinois University, taught at SCHS 33 years. After retiring from teaching the Bryants have relocated to Jonesboro, Arkansas.