Naperville Central sweeps St. Francis

It might have felt like a typical windy and cold afternoon in April, but it looked like a blistering summer day the way Naperville Central dispatched visiting St. Francis 7-0 in boys tennis on Tuesday.

The Redhawks (5-2) won straight-set victories in each match.

Maybe it was the cold that motivated all four singles players, who yielded only 6 games total to the Spartans, to get somewhere warm in a hurry.

The two teams met last month, but the Redhawks produced a more dominant performance this time out. Naperville Central utilized the wind to its advantage by effectively decreasing the margins on the court and encroaching the net, allowing very little room for error.

With five sophomores and one freshman on the varsity squad, the confidence displayed by the Naperville Central was evident.

"I put pressure on him. It's really windy outside, so it's obviously hard to not miss," said Naperville Central No. 1 singles player Bill Zhang, who powered out a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ethan Dean.

At No. 1 doubles the Redhawks' Riley Brooksher and Kevin Yin, personified toughness in the most hotly contested match of the day. After racking up a first-set win, 6-1, the duo became increasingly challenged, particularly by St. Francis lefthander Nick Kovach.

They pulled out a 7-6 second-set finish. While most players wore multiple payers to combat the cold, Brooksher and Yin wore only T-shirts, which may have made a statement that they weren't going to the chill affect them.

"I think it definitely helps to play at least to just not to be bulky with what we are wearing, and after being out there for an hour, you definitely stop feeling it," Brooksher said.

"These guys came today and played within themselves and didn't go for too much in the wind," Redhawks coach Dan Brown said.

"Naperville Central did a better job of closing the gap and avoiding any pitfalls," added St. Francis coach Greg Philiotis, whose team fell to 7-4 for the season.