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Boys tennis: St. Charles N. wins UEC tourney; Batavia overall champ

The St. Charles North boys tennis team bettered Batavia by 2 points at the two-day Upstate Eight Conference River Division tournament this weekend.

But there are two components to the overall champion.

On the basis of its 3-point lead over the North Stars during regular-season play, Batavia edged St. Charles North 68-67 to deny the North Stars a third consecutive conference title Saturday afternoon.

St. Charles East and Geneva were third and fourth, respectively, at 60 and 53 points.

Streamwood (31 points), Elgin (20) and Larkin (5) rounded out the seven-team standings.

It was the third championship in the last five years for Batavia.

"(The overall championship is) kind of a marathon," Batavia coach Brad Nelson said. "It's the whole season. Give North credit; they played well. (Our boys) got the job done when they had to."

In the singles competition, played at St. Charles East, the Bulldogs' No. 2 player, sophomore Chase Bremner, was the lone Batavia champion after his 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 triumph over Streamwood freshman Alex Veltkamp.

"The first set was pretty good," Bremner said. "The second set I was serving a lot worse. I was being more consistent (in the third set). I started hitting the ball and was more aggressive."

At first singles, the Sabres' Chris Veltkamp turned the tables on his Batavia opponent as the senior dispatched the Bulldogs' Brogan Pierce at 7-5, 6-0.

The Saints' Zac Matheny prevailed over SCN's Josh Joseph in straight sets for the last of the individual conference titles.

The four doubles matches were contested at St. Charles North.

In the ultimate championship bracket at first doubles, St. Charles East returning state qualifiers Chuck Downing and Kevin Schreiner defeated their Batavia foes, Cam Marbach and Tommy Maren, 6-4, 6-4.

"(Marbach and Maren) definitely figured out a lot of our tricks from the first meeting," Downing said. "We just really tried to get up to the net and finish points."

"I definitely see myself stronger on the baseline," Schreiner said. "Our best combination is when I am serving, and (Downing) is at the net."

The second doubles championship featured a tense duel between the North Stars' Ajay Gustafson and Connor Bajuk and the Batavia tandem of Will McClure and Will Freiburger.

"Overall, it came down to mental toughness," Gustafson said of the 6-3, 6-4 victory. "In the end, we just edged them out."

St. Charles North also captured the third and fourth doubles crowns with wins over Batavia.

Matt McArthur and John Potesta bested the Bulldogs' Keegan Thompson and Griffin Unterberg by identical scores of 6-3.

Ryan Smith and Connor Broshar outlasted the Bulldogs' Peter Novak and Justin Chu 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) for the crown at fourth doubles.

"The longest match of my 13-year career," St. Charles North coach Sean Masoncup said during the awards ceremony.

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