Girls tennis: Lake Park prevails over Glenbard North
It's not uncommon to see at a high school dual-team tennis meet empty courts and all the focus on the last match still playing.
Thursday's DuPage Valley Conference battle between visiting Glenbard North and host Lake Park was no exception. The remaining match on the courts, No. 1 doubles, was a roughly three-hour battle with both sides battling hard from start to finish.
Glenbard North's Sage Hills and Jenny Eng prevailed 7-6, 7-5 over Lake Park's Alexis Belmonte and Nancy Cozzi. The Lancers won the meet 6-1.
"You learn a lot about your opponent and yourself in a match like that," Eng said.
Hills said Belmonte and Cozzi were tough but an endurance test like a three-hour match is the tennis version of one looking at oneself in the mirror.
"You definitely are more patient in a three-hour match. But one of the reasons it was a three-hour match is you were trying to do too much and not playing your game earlier," she said.
It was the first match for the doubles pair in DuPage Valley Conference play, although the two had played together in tournaments. The victory will help Hills and Eng in sectional seeding. Glenbard North is at the Lake Park sectional.
"It was a great match. Both sides were fighting for each point," said Lancers coach Ben Hussey.
The first match off the court was at No. 1 singles, where Analisa Cruz prevailed 6-2, 6-2. Until the clouds moved in later in the afternoon, both teams felt the brunt of the 90-plus degree day.
"It's all mental. You can't let it get to you," Cruz said of the weather.
The rest of the Lake Park winners were Angela Pasquini at No. 2 singles and Lindsey Zastawny at No. 3 singles. The Lancers won three doubles matches - Nina Pasquini and Maeve Casey at No. 2, Sanjana Dalal and Anjali Patel at No. 3 and Christina Paskon and Stephanie McComb at No. 4.
Both teams host quadrangulars Saturday as the postseason nears. Each squad has just two DVC matches left with Lake Park facing Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central next week with the Panthers also facing Neuqua and Metea Valley. The conference meet is Oct. 6-7.