Girls tennis: Naperville Central claims crown at St. Charles East
Receiving top-four finishes at all eight positions, Naperville Central's girls tennis team relied on its superior depth to capture the St. Charles East/Mary Carlson Invitational Saturday afternoon in St. Charles.
Claiming individual championships at second and third doubles, the Redhawks edged second-place Benet Academy, 54-48, for team honors.
“With four singles and four doubles (matches), it really does come down to depth,” said Redhawks coach Dan Brown. “I think that's where we had some of our best success today.”
At second doubles, junior Nina Raab and sophomore Alex Dram defeated St. Charles East's Jamie McDermott and Elena Melone in straight sets while the Redhawks' Annika Guenther and Emma Treco won at third singles.
Naperville Central also got second-place efforts from its top doubles tandem of Natalie Atkins and Elaine Liu as well as from freshman Katie Liu and senior Lauren Anderson at second and fourth singles, respectively.
“Lauren is normally a doubles player but she played fourth singles today and she won a couple key tiebreakers in the first and second rounds to get herself to the finals,” said Brown. “She did a great job making that switch. She stepped up and won some big matches for us.
“I thought Katie Liu really had a great day. She has been playing third singles in conference but she moved up to two and had a great match in the finals against Emily (Orlove).”
Wheaton Warrenville South's Samantha Choi and Orlove earned titles at first and second singles, respectively.
Choi, who placed sixth in the state a year ago, scored an impressive 6-2, 6-2 title triumph over Benet freshman Allyce Gaborik.
“I think Sam's experience, composure and the depth of her talent was the difference,” said Tigers coach Patti Clousing. “She has so many shots to choose from and with that she keeps her opponents off-balance.”
Choi's mental preparation was evident in the title match.
“I feel more pressure because I did well (at state) last year so I'm trying to be more relaxed,” said Choi. “I felt consistent today. I wasn't missing as many shots as some other matches.”
Orlove continued her strong play with a 6-3, 6-2 title win over Katie Liu.
“They're a fantastic 1-2 punch at one and second singles,” Clousing said of Choi and Orlove. “Yes, they get to be sparring partners at practice but Emily is a year-round player and deserves all of her own credit. She's a real strong player who has added power to her game this year.”
Benet's title-winners included its top doubles team of Kendall Schrader and Daniella Nenadovich, and junior Cassidy Latchford at fourth singles.
“We played aggressively and hit some good volleys,” said Schrader, who was sidelined last year with a herniated disc. “It still hurts a little bit when I serve but it's a lot better than it was last year.”
“We didn't let them get the offensive position in any points,” added Nenadovich, a freshman.
At fourth doubles, Batavia juniors Anna and Laura Fox placed first with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Geneva's Divya Patel and Morgan Anderson.
In addition to their strong second doubles finish, the host Saints managed fourth-place performances from Chantel Carranza and Nicole McGraw at third doubles and from senior Sarah Fetter at fourth singles.