WINCHESTER - Handley's Nick Mueller said goodbye to his family and his teammates in the fall of 2017 with the hopes of realizing a childhood dream.
That junior year he spent in Florida chasing that dream helped Mueller achieve his goal.
Before the Judges' match against Millbrook at Slaughter Tennis Pavillion on Tuesday, the senior, flanked by his parents Paul and Ingrid, signed his national letter-of-intent to play for the University of Richmond.
"It's everything I've always wanted to do in tennis," Mueller said of landing a tennis scholarship. "It's very cool. ... When I was like 10 or 11, I really liked [tennis]. I decided that was something I really wanted to do."
"It's just great to having him back after a year away," Handley coach Dan Jones said. "He sacrificed and did what he needed to do to make this move to Richmond next year."
Mueller, who Jones called "special" from the first time he saw him, had stellar first two seasons with the Judges. Playing No. 2 as freshman, Mueller was unbeaten on a team that dominated foes on the way to winning the Class 4 title. A year later at No. 1, he captured the Northwestern District singles title, teamed with Jack Volinsky to make the state doubles semifinals and helped the Judges reach the state title match before bowing to Rock Ridge.
In those two campaigns, he had a combined 41-1 record in singles and a 31-2 mark in doubles.
But as successful as he was, Mueller had the desire to get even better. So he headed to the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., for his junior season.
"It was definitely challenging," Mueller said. "There were a lot of great players. I learned a lot. I definitely missed being here, though."
Mueller said the year improved some of his weaknesses.
"I worked on my forehand a lot," he said. "I developed that as more of a weapon. My serve and mental game, those are the other two things that I really tried to work on down there."
Last summer as he played in USTA junior events, Mueller attracted the interest of several schools, including Richmond. He said current Winchester Country Club Director of Tennis Jamie Morgan, a former assistant coach with the Spiders, also helped in the recruiting process.
"They watched a bunch of my tournaments," Mueller said of the Spiders. "They came and saw me play at claycourt nationals and a few other big events."
Mueller said he also took visits to Davidson, George Mason and Villanova. In the end, it came down to Richmond and Villanova and in mid-December he chose to be a Spider.
"I really liked the coach [Houston Barrack] a lot," Mueller said. "They have a good team, good academics, nice facilities and a nice campus. I liked everything about it."
Richmond went 14-11 last season, including 4-3 in the Atlantic 10, and is currently 12-5, 2-3.
Mueller joins some exclusive company. As strong has Handley's tennis program has been over the years, only a few players have gone on to play at the Division I level. Alex Funkhowser (a 2007 graduate) is the last Handley standout to play at a Division I school (Coastal Carolina). After college, Funkhowser actually taught for at the same Evert Academy that Mueller attended.
"It's definitely great to break the curse I guess," Mueller said. "I think [former 2016 teammates] Parker Wilson and Carter Watts were definitely good enough, too."
"It's great for any program," Jones said of having a Division I signee. "It doesn't matter what sport. When you have a kid that succeeds and gets rewarded with a scholarship to play at the next level, it inspires all of this kids in the program and other people in the school That Winchester can bring out Division I players.
"We've got a lot of good tennis players in this area, but there have only been a handful who have gone on to the next level and especially getting a scholarship to do it."
And it's that camaraderie of teammates that Mueller found that he missed while in Florida.
"I've definitely enjoyed it a lot," he said of being back with the Judges, who are currently 5-0 after their win over Millbrook. "With the team atmosphere, you have guys that always have your back and you can have fun a lot. Whereas [in Florida], you are kind of about yourself."
Jones said the Mueller has fit right back in with his teammates.
"It's like he never left," Jones said. "They are a tight-knit group. They were before he left and they understood why he left. Coming back, it was actually more excitement that he came back. It made them feel like it gave them one more weapon."
And Jones said that Mueller's game definitely is a weapon and the improvement shows.
"The actual physical part of the game is just his angles, his strength and his velocity on the ball," Jones said. "But, where he really improved is mentally. At Mercersberg, he had a bad call. Last time I was with him as a sophomore, he would have pouted or would have been a little bit miserable for a couple of games. ... This time, he just kind of smiled at the kid and didn't give up a point for the next three games. He took it internally and did the right thing, instead of showing it externally."
Mueller says he believes he has matured.
"I was definitely a lot more nervous back then as far as going into matches and day-to-day," Mueller said of his freshman season. "It was all new, but now I feel a lot more comfortable and it's definitely been good this year."
Mueller plans on majoring in business at Richmond.
"They have a good program there," he said. "I'm thinking of maybe going into something law or business related in the future. I haven't decided, but I think business would be a good starting place."
But for now, Mueller is happy to be back in Winchester and has high hopes for what he and his teammates can accomplish.
"I've really enjoyed it so far," he said. "I'm looking forward to a great season."
- Contact Walt Moody at
wmoody@winchesterstar.comFollow on Twitter @WinStarSports1