Jacobs edges Wheeling for Elk Grove title
Unlike last year's Sara Jackson Elk Grove Invite, which was washed out by storms, the 2011 version received comfortable weather for the contenders Saturday morning.
Area teams Elk Grove, Jacobs, Maine West and Wheeling were all participants in the eight-team tournament.
As the tight competition between Jacobs, Timothy Christian and Wheeling for first place honors winded down, Jacobs found itself taking home the hardware with 22 points.
Wheeling took second with 20 points, while Timothy Christian finished with 19. Maine West took fourth with 14 points, and Elk Grove finished fifth with 9.
“I knew we had a good chance to do well so the girls were looking forward to this tournament all week,” said Jacobs coach Jon Betts. “All day long, I was happy to see that we've done well. This will help us gain more confidence as the girls get ready for conference.”
Wheeling No. 1 senior singles player Dani Bitout displayed a stellar performance as she took home first place, defeating all her opponents in two sets. Bitout defeated her Waukegan opponent 6-0, 6-0, Maine West's No. 1 singles player Beth Schaefer 6-3, 6-1 and Jacobs Alina Zabolotico 6-4, 6-2 in the finals.
“I was confident that we'd do really well (Saturday),” Bitout said. “This will motivate us to do better in practice. Working harder in practice will help us in our matches and make us stronger.”
Wheeling (6-3, 0-2 in MSL) also a exhibited superb showing from No. 3 singles player sophomore Gosia Markiewcz, who turned in a first-place finish over her Timothy Christian opponent 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. Markiewcz's journey to the finals included victories over her Waukegan opponent 6-0, 6-0 and Jacobs Emily Alessio 6-4, 6-3.
Wheeling got a second place finish from senior No. 1 doubles team Lea Valenti/Rachel Stephani.
“This is a huge confidence-booster that gives the girls a positive feeling,” said Wheeling coach Jim Christopher. “There is always room for working on things. These girls had great success and they are a great group. They work hard and are more than willing to learn.”
Jacobs (23-2, 4-1 in Fox Valley) found both doubles teams — No. 1 doubles team Marcilyn Rowan/Lauren Steinkame and No. 2 senior doubles team Anna Taylor/Autumn Hackett — conclude their afternoons with victories. Rowan/Steinkame defeated Maine West's Rachel Anderson/Ania Holubecki 6-1, 6-3, Timothy Christian doubles team 6-1, 6-1 and Valenti/Stephani 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
Taylor/Hackett beat Wheeling's No. 2 doubles team 6-2, 6-2, Timothy Christian's duo 6-0, 6-0 and Maine West's Megan Bricks/Jordan Eshafi for the finals 5-7, 6-0 (10-7).
“We took all our anger out on that match because we lost the first set,” Taylor said in regard to the first set of the finals match against Maine West. “I think that helped us to win the second set and the tiebreaker. This prepares us stamina-wise with confidence. We've played together sophomore and junior year, but haven't much this year. This builds a lot of team chemistry.”
Maine West senior Kara Franke recorded a second place in her bracket. After defeating Grayslake Central 6-1, 6-1 and Jacobs Kassy Bernardo 6-0, 6-0, Franke faltered to Timothy Christian's single player 6-0, 6-2.
“I didn't know what the competition was going to be like, but I came in to do my best,” Franke said. “I kind of ran out of adrenaline in the last match. We have a lot of important matches coming up, and we need to work on some technical things. As a whole we've given a 100 percent this season. We've been better this year than we have in my four years in the program.”
Other standout Maine West competitors were No. 1 singles player Beth Schaefer, who finished fourth, as did No.3 singles player Alma Rekic.
Maine West (8-1 overal, 0-1 in CSL duals) started the season hot, and the Warriors aim to keep it up in league play.
“We're playing so well that we've had a knack for pushing the bar higher,” said Maine West coach Neal Sipkovsky. “I would've liked to do a little better (Saturday), because it's imperative we do well in tournaments like these. Experiences like this will help us around conference and sectionals.”
Elk Grove's top performers were in doubles, where the No. 1 (Kerry Trotter/Taylor Marquardt) and No. 2 teams (Elle Anderson/Adriene Losacco) finished fourth.
Elk Grove is looking to miminize its mistakes after finishing in the middle of the pack Saturday. The Grens enjoyed a first-place finish at the Addison Trail quad on Labor Day weekend.
“We were hoping to improve on our third-place finish of two years ago,” said Elk Grove coach Kristen Harding. “First doubles are playing really well, but it wasn't our best performance. Monday we'll reflect on our performance and continue working on serves. We need to try to focus every day in practice.”