Small ball works for Glenbard North
While it may not be overtly known if Glenbard North boys tennis coach Doug Clark can juggle, he proved it to be an art form on Wednesday when his team defeated visiting West Chicago 6-1 on Wednesday in a nonconference matchup.
As a result of two last-minute forfeits at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles by the Wildcats, Clark made several switches to counterbalance the changes. The adjustments paid off, as Glenbard North (7-6) - which has had to grind out victories this year - was overpowering across the board. Historically, the Panthers have had that dominating stalwart in the lineup, like former No. 1 singles Matt Krzyzaniak (four-time state qualifier) or Matt Boguslawski, who went on to play at North Central College.
This team relies on a much different strategy: small ball.
"Focus on small ball, think of the court as smaller, and not as long, and keep the ball in play; force your opponents to hit 15-20 shots per point and we will win and that is where our strength is," Clark said.
Just having come off a victory over Elgin in an Upstate Eight River matchup, West Chicago amassed too many unforced errors with its sole victory coming from No. 1 singles player Jacob Urban, who scored a 6-1, 6-1 win over Shivang Chaudhary.
"He just started getting down on himself and made uncharacteristic errors which he usually doesn't do," Clark said of Chaudhary.
The Panthers' Kyle Stankoskey made short work of Josh Babor 6-0, 6-0. Glenbard North sophomore Nathan Powers, who moved up to No. 2 singles from No. 4 doubles, outpointed Luis Tresgallo 6-2, 6-3. According to coach Clark, with the top-three singles being seniors, Powers will have an opportunity to claim the No. 1 singles spot next year.
No. 2 singles Joey Tezak and No. 3 singles Colin Haynes were shuffled to No. 2 doubles, which they handled seamlessly, winning 6-0, 6-0. The adjustment didn't faze Tezak or Haynes. They both team up for doubles during tournament play.
"Our team is more a bunch of consistent players, keeping the ball in play and not making a lot of unforced errors, and when we can do that, we can win," Clark said.
The Panthers take on DuPage Valley Conference opponent Lake Park Thursday.