Neuqua Valley makes it 17 out of 18 in Upstate Eight
After dominating the Upstate Eight Conference from Day One, it only made sense that the Neuqua Valley girls tennis team would leave on top.
The Wildcats took first in all four doubles flights and won two of the three singles titles Saturday at Metea Valley en route to another UEC Valley Division crown, their final UEC title before heading off to the DuPage Valley Conference next year.
"I was really proud of them. It's a good feeling," Wildcats coach Trudy Bennorth said after claiming a 17th UEC title in 18 years. "It's a good way to leave the conference. We played well. We went out and got it done. We're moving to a new conference, so it's a great way to leave this one."
The only title that eluded Neuqua Valley was at first singles, where Glenbard East freshman star Kolie Allen stayed perfect on the year with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Wildcats freshman Christina Stankovic.
Allen, 29-0 on the year and nationally ranked, didn't drop a single game while advancing to the finals. She then beat Stankovic for the third time this fall.
"I was pretty confident just because of my record and how I have been playing, so it was just another match," said Allen, whose Rams will head off to the Downers Grove South sectional next weekend. "Serving is usually a pretty big part of my game, but today I was having some trouble with my serve. But I got it in enough to get the ball in play and get some shots in there to help me win points."
Even in defeat, the Wildcats' Stankovic had plenty to be proud of.
"We both were aggressive and it was very entertaining, too, like, if you were watching the match," said Stankovic, one of three freshmen on the Neuqua varsity. "I was down 3-1 and came back to 3-3 and 4-4 before she ended up closing it out. The second set was still a really good match, but she was tougher and overall better. I still feel really good. I lot of games went into deuce, and this was the best result so far against her."
Wildcats senior Anusha Pai, who won the UEC first-singles title last year, improved to 22-2 this season after claiming the No. 2 title.
"We've been working really hard this whole year," said Pai, who placed in the top 32 in singles last year at state. "We knew we had to stay focused for conference, and now we have to keep working hard for sectionals."
Neuqua freshman Riziki Covington remained unbeaten on the year after defeating Metea Valley's Anushri Kartik-Narayan in the finals at third singles. The Wildcats kept up their dominance by winning all four doubles crowns, including a win at No. 1 by Taylor Hersley and Jessica Chen, who knocked off Waubonsie Valley's Abbey Glavin and Serrena Zhu in the finals.
The Wildcats, who entered the weekend with 47 points earned in dual meets, added 41 more for a winning total of 88 points. Glenbard East took second at 65 points, and Waubonsie Valley edged the host Mustangs 55-54 for third place in the team standings.