Girls tennis: Stevenson great in Power 8
Saturday's Prospect Power 8 featured the 'Patriot 7' as all three singles players and four doubles teams from Stevenson posted finals victories.
The girls from Lincolnshire bested the competition with 84 points.
Glenbrook North finished second with 42 points while Naperville North was third with 39. Buffalo Grove (fourth place) and Prospect (sixth place) scored 23 and 18 points, respectively.
"We've seen a lot of these teams," said Stevenson coach Tom Stanhope. "These tournaments and the front-loaded schedule we play with top competition helps us get a look at these teams before we play them late in the season.
"We've messed with the lineup early and now that we have established records, we hope to have the closest lineup to our sectional lineup next week at the (Prospect) Fall Classic."
The Patriots have finished as runner-up for the past three years in the state tournament.
The Pats' No. 1 singles player, Zoe Taylor, and her teammates have high hopes that this season they can take home a Class 2A team state crown.
Hinsdale Central was the champion in the prior three seasons that Stevenson has been second.
In the Power 8 Invite, Taylor defeated her St. Charles East opponent Reema Dhar 6-0, 6-1 and Buffalo Grove foe Dasha Ignatova 6-0, 6-0 for a berth to the final.
Taylor faced Glenbrook North's Grace Chatas for the second week in a row.
Taylor registered a No. 1 singles gold title over Chatas at the Fremd Invite, and the Patriots senior replicated the outcome Saturday with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph.
Taylor took a junior-year hiatus last season, but she hasn't lost a step. She remains comfortable on the court after playing plenty of USTA tournaments in her extended off-season.
"I took a year off to focus on AP classes and college," said Taylor, a two-time state qualifier. "(Tom) Stanhope and (assistant coach Aaron) Rogers respected my decision and welcomed me back. I'm excited to be here. They've been very supportive.
"(As a team) we need to stay confident and not get cocky. Just stay focused and we'll do great."
The Patriots senior plans on playing collegiate tennis and is mulling over two or three options for next year. Taylor tentatively plans on making her decision within the next two to three weeks.
Stevenson's No. 2 singles player Athena Kolli won in her final over Lake Zurich's Sofia Bryukhova 6-1, 6-1, At No. 3 singles, Stevenson's Ellen Ma posted a 6-2, 6-1 final over Naperville North's Alejandra Sosa.
Other Patriots victors included the No. 1 doubles team (Katherine Harvey/Elizabeth Ferdman), No. 2 tandem (Alyssa Glazer/Bronwyn Heidkemp), No. 3 (Sam Burger-Ambika Singh) and No. 4 (Sneha Yellapantula-Carly Lefar).
Buffalo Grove and Prospect had the opportunity to see their adversaries in action on the Saturday morning. The two face off Thursday, Sept. 28. The match could be very important in the MSL East standings as it regular-season final dual before the MSL meet.
"It's nice that we're able to see Prospect, because it's going to be tough in the East," said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. "It's good to see the girls get some experience and see where they are mentally and physically. You also have the opportunity to see the girls in different situations. I always tell them that 'You have to play outside of your comfort zone to make you a better tennis player.' "
The Bison had four fourth-place showings including senior Dasha Ignatova at No. 1 singles.
Ignatova notched a win against Naperville North's Kayla O'Connor 6-2, 6-1 but faltered to Taylor 6-0, 6-0 and Lake Zurich's Sophia de la Reyes 6-3, 6-3 in the third-place match.
Other Bison fourth-place finishers included the No. 1 duet of Kina Tamai/Emma Boyd, No. 2 tandem of Paige Sterker/Isabel Royz and No. 3 pair of Leanne Lee-Priscilla Yuan.
A four-year varsity player, Ignatova not only been a stellar piece to the Bison tennis program but excels in other areas as well. She and other Buffalo Grove students championed the Elevate club, which is a school chapter of the national Life of an Athlete program.
This club at Buffalo Grove that now has strong membership since its inception in fall 2016.
The program encourages student peers to remain drug and alcohol free as well as stressing the importance of a healthy diet and sleep habits.
Ignatova and others from Elevate were presented with the Life of an Athlete's "Program of the Year" award earlier this year.
Ignatova plans on attending to continue her tennis career at the club level in college.
"I think it's good to get extra time to work on form," Ignatova said of her effort in the invite. "I'm not sure of the position I'll be playing in sectionals, but mentally it helps you with strokes. Our team is strong this year. We've had a lot of pasta parties to build chemistry with the team."
Prospect received fifth-place finishes from its No. 1 doubles team of Colleen Stanford/Ellery Whitebloom and No. 3 Alyssa Kubitz/Annie Walsh.
Knights coach Mike McColaugh was happy with how his team performed against a competitive field.
And as MSL play continues, McColaugh is optimistic about Prospect's road toward the postseason.
"Three of our four doubles teams went 2-1 (Saturday)," he said. "There were a lot of positives to take away. I thought in the backdraw there were a lot of even match play as we prepare for the MSL. We got a good sneak preview (of Buffalo Grove) to give ourselves a chance."
McColaugh and Prospect will host the annual 16-team Fall Classic on Saturday. It features area teams Buffalo Grove, Prospect, Hersey, Fremd, Rolling Meadows, Conant and Stevenson.