advertisement

Girls tennis: Glenbard West takes win vs. WW South

Glenbard West had Monday's dual meet at Wheaton Warrenville South all wrapped up with a 5-1 lead with just one match left on the courts, No. 1 singles.

It was a good one as two state veterans battled it out before junior Samantha Choi prevailed over the Hilltoppers' Sienna Lopez 6-1, 7-6 for the Tigers' final team point.

Last year Lopez, a sophomore, won four times at state, reaching the sixth round of the consolation bracket.

"She has some things to work on," said Glenbard West coach Kevin Graham. "But she made some good adjustments in the second set today."

Choi also stayed long at state in 2016, reaching the consolation quarterfinals and going 6-1. Her coach said that when it came to clutch time on Monday, Choi knew what she had to do.

"Sam played a fantastic match overall. In the first set she was flawless," said WW South coach Patti Clousing. "In the second set Sienna played better. Then it came to the tiebreaker. Samantha focused and won it 7-2. She didn't want to go to a third set."

Especially in the second set, the power game of both players was evident with strong sustained volleys from both sides.

"I was more consistent at the end. I held myself together and stopped my shots shaking," Choi said.

The Hilltoppers also won at No. 3 singles and swept the doubles competition.

Ashley Samuta won at No. 3, 6-0, 6-0. At No. 1 doubles Molly Rueth and Grace Griffin prevailed 6-2, 6-1, and the No. 2 pair of Sarah Burke and Claire Burelbach won 6-0, 6-1. Isabel Hermanson and Allie Maltby won at No. 3, 6-2, 6-1, with the No. 4 duo of Ellie Morrison and Emma Chiriya also winning 6-2, 6-1.

Griffin and Rueth are also state veterans, earning a 4-2 record at state last season and reaching the sixth round of the consolation bracket.

Emily Orlove, a state qualifier as a freshman, was the other team point for the Tigers, winning 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.

The Hilltoppers are coming off a fourth-place finish at state last season, and first-year coach Graham is pleased with what he's seen so far.

"We're doing pretty well. We have just one dual-team meet loss," he said.

This is a big week for Glenbard West. Tuesday it travels to defending state champ Hinsdale Central and then hosts Lyons Twp. on Thursday. The Lions were second at state in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will face DuPage Valley Conference challenges with hosting Neuqua on Tuesday and a road trip to Naperville Central on Thursday.

"We're staying above .500. We're 6-4 in dual meets. That's always a goal and we head into a tough part of a schedule," Clousing said.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.