Tony Burns
Sports Editor
Parkers Chapel’s Kenlee McAuliffe and Ali Looney are twins. No, they’re not sisters but they’re definitely twins.
They’re also the 2A state champions in girls doubles. McAuliffe and Looney dropped just one set last week in winning the title in Bentonville. Today, they open play in the Overall State Tennis Tournament at Burns Park.
McAuliffe, a 5-4 junior, and Looney, a 5-3 sophomore, started playing doubles last year and advanced to the quarterfinals of state. They brought a friendship outside of tennis to the court, creating an instant chemistry.
“Ali and Kenlee make a great doubles team,” said Parkers Chapel coach Casey Rapp. “They are both determined individuals with great work ethic and competitive nature. They also work well together because they communicate during play and in between points. They know how to strategize against their opponents. They lift each other up and give 100 percent at all times.”
The girls have one of those connections where they know what each other is thinking, sort of like sisters.
“There really isn’t a difference between our relationship on and off the court,” said McAuliffe. “We are really close friends and are always there for each other.”
McAuliffe, a cheerleader, is more naturally vocal. She’s the one who makes the bulk of the line calls and, if necessary, will argue for the call on behalf of the team.
“I’m more confrontational,” she said with a laugh. “Even though we’re both leaders, I often take charge. We complement one another. I’m the one that needs to be calmed down. Ali needs some pumping up, sometimes.”
The duo has suffered just one loss on the season, posting a 16-1 record. They haven’t dropped a match since falling to a team from Conway in the season-opening tournament in Searcy.
“We have very similar personalities and always are there to pick each other up if one of us is playing bad,” Looney said. “We both are also very determined and are always willing to give our best and not just give up. Our coaches, (Casey) Rapp and Robert Holmes, always have helped us tons into becoming better and better every day.”
Both are multi-sport athletes. In addition to cheerleading, McAuliffe plays tennis, golf, softball, track and cross country. Looney plays tennis, basketball, softball, track and was All-State in cross country as a freshman.
Kenlee has a twin brother named Korbin. Ali has a twin brother named Austin. Both girls are the younger twin.
More importantly to the girls, their hair is in sync for photographs. Looney’s hair is parted on the right with McAuliffe sporting a part on the left, which allows both to show their “good sides” in photos.
Apparently, it’s a “girl” thing.
Competitively, their personality quirks mesh well together.
“Her best quality is definitely her personality,” McAuliffe said of her teammate. “Her drive and competitiveness pushes me to do my best. I know she’ll always have my back and I’ll do the same for her.”
“She shows great leadership whether it’s in school or in sports,” Looney said of McAuliffe. “She is an awesome person and always knows how to pick your head up and encourage you if you’re having a bad day.
“Anytime I mess up or get down on myself, Kenlee is always there to make me laugh or she’ll say a joke to get my mind off what my mess up was.”
The Lady Trojans will take on Rogers’ Caroline Long and Brittany Matthews in the Overall Tournament with a scheduled start time of 10:30 a.m. They’re cautiously optimistic.
“My first goal is to make it to the second day,” said McAuliffe. “That would be a first from our school.”
Looney added, “Win or lose, my goal is that we both play our best and leave everything on the court since it will be our last tournament of the year.”