By Loyd McIntosh photos by Jordan Wald
In the middle of her second year at the helm, Mountain Brook tennis head coach Carlee Petro Schaper has the Spartans rolling once again. The Mountain Brook alum and former Birmingham-Southern College head coach is square in the middle of another successful season with her sights on more state titles for the most dominant high school program in the state.
Having played for two legendary coaches—Susan Farlow at Mountain Brook and Ann Dielen at Birmingham-Southern—Schaper is creating her own legacy while maintaining the Spartans’ tradition of excellence. “Obviously, my goal is to continue having successful state championship teams, but my biggest goal, because we do have so much talent within the community, is just really continuing to grow the culture within the team,” says Schaper. “I’m trying to encourage them to express themselves in a match and have big energy.”
Having grown up playing competitive individual tennis, Schaper joined the Mountain Brook Junior High School team when her interest in the sport had begun to wane. She says that playing on a team revived her passion for tennis and helped her thrive through high school and college. “I loved playing at Mountain Brook,” says Schaper. “I played very competitively outside of high school tennis, but team tennis was kind of what kept me in the sport.”
Schaper was one of the most accomplished players in Mountain Brook tennis history. She won the 2014 Alabama 6A No. 1 singles state championship after capturing back-to-back state titles at No. 2 singles in 2011 and 2012. Schaper also claimed the 2011 6A No. 3 doubles championship alongside Sara Cohen and helped lead the Spartans to team state titles in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Her junior career was equally successful, earning 2014 USTA Alabama Female Junior Player of the Year honors, Birmingham Metro Tennis Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and the 2013 USTA Alabama Elaine Frances Junior Excellence Award. In 2013, she also won the Alabama State Closed Girls 18U tournament, winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.
At Birmingham-Southern, Schaper primarily played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles and was one of the top players in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). During her time with the Panthers, she earned SAA Player of the Year honors, was a three-time First Team All-SAA selection and was ranked as high as No. 42 in the nation.
Now, as the head coach of her high school alma mater, following seven years as head coach at Birmingham-Southern—a role she took over at the age of 22—she wants to bring a greater sense of excitement and team dynamics to the tennis program. “There used to be this ‘too-cool to show that you care mentality,’ and I see that shifting,” she says. “That was one of the main things that I wanted to change.”
Of course, winning helps, and Mountain Brook wins—a lot. The girls team has won eight consecutive championships, and the boys have claimed three titles in a row. However, there is one mountaintop she has sights set upon a doubles clean sweep. “My biggest goal is for all six of our doubles teams to win individual state titles,” Schaper says. “I don’t know if that’s happened before.”
Leading the girls is Olivia Roberts, a junior currently ranked No. 5 in the state (tennisrecruiting.net) and a highly-recruited athlete among several elite Southeastern universities, including Belmont, Rhodes, Maryville and Spring Hill. “She leads by example, and she works really hard,” says Schaper. “I’m hoping to see a lot of success from her this season.”
In doubles play, Schaper paired Roberts with Virginia Puckett, a left-hander and one of a handful of freshmen whom Schaper promoted to varsity in 2026. Schaper says Puckett and her fellow ninth-graders are instilling a new personality to the team and are challenging the older players to step as leaders. “Virginia has kind of brought a new energy into the top six of our team this year, without offending some of the other seniors,” Schaper says, half-jokingly.
Schaper continues, “Me taking more freshmen this year has challenged some of the other girls to step up at practice. I feel like this is a totally different team this year in terms of the work that they’re putting in and actually taking to learning how to play doubles because it’s a different strategy.”
Leading the boys team is Quint Freeman, a dominant sophomore with a bright tennis future. Currently ranked No. 4 in Alabama and No. 290 nationally (tennisrecruiting.net), Schaper says Freeman has almost unlimited potential, “He hasn’t hit his growth spurt yet, and he’s already super talented and feeding on kids that look like they’re ready for college. It’s going to be amazing to see what he transforms into as he continues to grow.”
Additionally, Karna and Aarya Palaniappan, a pair of brothers who Schaper says have opposing personalities, provide balance and skill to the Spartans’ boys squad. “Karna is a little bit more cautious. He is the perfect person to have in a stressful situation and will easily fire up to pull through,” Schaper says. “And then you have his brother, who is super calm, cool and collected. He hasn’t played in the lineup until this year, but he’s acted like he’s been here before. He’s unfazed by anything.”
The 2026 regular season concludes on April 7, followed by Sectionals on April 14 and the AHSAA 6A State Tournament beginning on April 22.
