Girls tennis: Fremd's focused effort ends Barrington's title streak
For 23 consecutive years, Barrington has set the daunting precedent of winning Mid-Suburban League girls tennis crowns.
That streak ended Saturday as Fremd bested the field Saturday afternoon at Buffalo Grove.
The Vikings sent all seven flights to the finals, and five positions took home the gold.
Fremd topped the field with 59 points and Barrington in second place with 46. Buffalo Grove took third with 40 points, while Palatine grabbed fourth with 32.
"For eight years, it's been my goal to win conference," said Fremd coach Lauren O'Donnell. "We talked about this before every match. It's easy to be a coach when coaching such an exceptional group of players on and off the court."
Vikings seniors Kate Bodensteiner/Julia Smiarowska were upset last year in the semifinals of the conference meet at No. 1 doubles, but there was no such disappointment this time around. Bodensteiner/Smiarowska started with a win over Hoffman Estates before topping Hersey's Susan Ferris/Paige Klis (6-0, 6-0) and Buffalo Grove's Dasha Ignatova/Emma Boyd 6-2, 6-0. They completed the effort with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Barrington's standout senior tandem of Nidhi Jha/Sara Amano.
"We always have trouble closing out close matches," Bodensteiner said. "Winning conference feels amazing. It's incredible with all of the hard work our team has put in, together and individually. I'm proud of our teammates."
"(All of our teammates) got in the finals, even with all of the pressure," Smiarowska said. "The conference win is great and it's sad that it's over for our team as a whole."
At No. singles, Fremd junior Diya Matta and Palatine sophomore Kanae Kawai already have a long history of competing against one another, starting before they reached high school.
Kawai moved to singles this year (after just missed a trip to the state tournament in doubles last fall), while Matta's 2016 campaign resulted in a top-32 singles state finish.
Earlier this season, Kawai earned a thrilling tiebreaker win against Matta. And there were more dramatics on Saturday.
Battling a strong south wind, both had difficulties commanding their stroke. With the prospect of rain in the forecast, deuce was omitted from the scoring on all matches.
Kawai jumped to an early 2-1 start in the first two games, but Matta came roaring back by stringing together four wins. Although Kawai battled back in the first set, Matta nabbed the first set 6-4.
"The last time we played, (Matta's) backhand wasn't as strong," Kawai said. "(Saturday) it was good, and it's improving. Next time we play I hope it's not as windy so I don't miss the easy shots."
Kawai jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second set, but Matta answered by winning the next five. Before Matta closed out, Kawai won three consecutive games before ultimately falling 7-5.
"I've practiced a lot since (the midseason loss to Kawai)," Matta said. "The only thing I could think of was helping the team win conference, and that motivated me more. It feels great and matches like these just prepares us all for sectionals."
Other Fremd champions included freshman No. 2 singles player Kyra Emmanouilidis defeating Barrington senior Azan Wazir 6-2, 6-3; No. 2 sister tandem Elsie and Kelli Ha notching a 6-1, 4-6, 10-3 win over Barrington junior Kathleen Tomiasan and sophomore Niyanthi Puliyala; and at No. 3 doubles, where sophomore Jane Bodensteiner and senior Selin Parmaksiz edged out Barrington's Caroline Tomiasan/Megan Lacy 7-5, 6-3.
The No. 3 singles and No. four doubles finals were won by Fillies freshman S. Kim and the doubles team of senior Mira Parekh and junior Barbara Covek.
Most of the MSL will meet next week again at the Hersey sectional, with the exception of Schaumburg (at Lake Park) and Elk Grove (at Glenbrook North). Leyden will compete at Niles West, Maine West will join Elk Grove in Northbrook and St. Viator travels to Vernon Hills.
"I'm happy with where we're at," said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. "We have a good shot of qualifying for state. The two teams far and away are Barrington and Fremd, so it will be a fight for the next spots and I think we have a good chance."