Several area teams seek their groove

A few weeks into the girls tennis season, teams are starting to figure what works and what doesn't, which are their strengths, as well as those areas where there is still some work to be done.

Geneva has gotten off to a good start, though coach Maureen Weiler continues to have concerns about the lower half of her lineup.

"I know Kayla (Fujimoto) is going to win and so are my No. 1 and 2 doubles," Weiler said. "But I'm looking for some people to step up for conference. I have the option of moving my lineup around, but I don't want to do that."

Last Saturday at the St. Charles East Invite, Fujimoto was tested for one of the few times this season as Saints junior Stefanie Youngberg pushed her to the limit in the second set of their championship match.

"Kayla's had a lot of easy ones, so it's good for her to play a match where she has to find her game again," Weiler said. "Stefanie had a good game and she put some pressure on Kayla."

Fujimoto improved to 14-0 after winning that No. 1 singles title at St. Charles East. Her team finished fourth in a highly competitive field and she believes the Vikings have what it takes to go forward and be successful.

"Even though everyone says we don't have as much experience this year, we do have a lot of team chemistry, and that's helping us," Fujimoto said.

One spot where chemistry is already working in the Vikings' favor is at first doubles, where Blair Selakovich has teamed with Mary Pelling, her third partner in four years.

"You need to be focused right away, and get to know your partner," Selakovich said. "I've known Mary really well so it's been easy to play with her on the court. We're total opposites but we mix well."

In past years, Selakovich has always been the younger member of a state qualifying duo.

"I gained a lot from that experience because my partner was always a leader to me," Selakovich said. "Now I'm the one in that role, and I'm enjoying it. It's a lot of fun to be out there with Mary."

It's been an adjustment for Pelling, who has been a singles player in the past.

"I like having a partner on the court who can support me if I get into a little slump," Pelling said. "I trained a lot for doubles this summer, and I'm definitely getting more consistent."

Geneva also has a new pairing at No. 2 doubles, but you wouldn't know that from watching how Liz Bertrand and Krista Panko work together on the court.

"I really feel they have state potential," Weiler said.

One of the players Weiler is counting on to win a decisive match or two is Jamie Potts at second singles. Potts has already had some success in making the jump from JV.

"The players at this level hit a lot harder, and you have to work more on angle shots," Potts said. "You have to be able to keep up with what players at this level can do, and I'm working on that."

Batavia is also a team with young players in unfamiliar roles searching for experience and improvement. Coach Brad Nelson plans to continue using his team's Saturday tournaments and quads to move players around and try some different lineups.

"We're still working some things out," Nelson said. "These girls are troopers, and we've got some players who can move around and play in different positions."

At the St. Charles East Invite, the Bulldogs went with a lineup that featured sophomores Mallory Ramp at the top singles spot, and Elena Mudrak at No. 2.

"It was a good experience for Mallory. She hung in there all day," Nelson said. "She never gave up, and that's all we can ask."

Mudrak did not last long in her first round match against Benet state qualifier Lauren Gaspar, but refused to carry that loss into the rest of the tournament.

"Elena bounced back with two good wins, and that's a huge confidence booster for her," Nelson said. "She had never played higher than three doubles, so this was a tough challenge."

Nelson surprised a few people by matching up Alexa Schoefield and Kim Sawyer, his top two singles players, at No. 1 doubles.

"That's the first time they've played together all year, and I was happy with the way they finished," Nelson said.

There was a reason for the move beyond experimentation. Nelson plans to pair Schoefield and Sawyer when sectionals come around.

"They were able to beat two teams that are in our sectional, and that's the big thing," Nelson said. "As we go on, they'll spend more time practicing together, and hopefully they'll be able to make a run at state."

The Bulldogs may not have a lot of free practice time in the coming weeks, as they are currently in the midst of a stretch of 21 matches in 20 days.

"I like what I've seen so far," Nelson said. "We've consistently put ourselves in a position to win, and that's something that we stress," Nelson said.

Rosary already knows what it's like to go through a tough schedule.

The Royals have gone up against defending state champ Hinsdale Central, as well as Naperville Central, York and Geneva.

"We've gotten a wakeup call and understand that we need to execute better," Rosary coach John Tsang said. "The season is short, so it's good that we get some of the tougher schools on our schedule early on."

Tsang is using this portion of the season as a build-up to conference play. And though he would certainly like to see his team beat some of its tougher opponents, he knows it's all a part of the growth process.

"Sometimes you have to get beaten down before you can be built back up," Tsang said.

Sophomore Emily Reuland continues to impress, but the Royals have some work to do, and a few things to figure out, especially on the doubles side.

"I'm still trying to get a gauge on who is playing well with who," Tsang said.

St. Charles East is also gradually working through the sometimes frustrating process of finding consistency from week to week or match to match.

But Youngberg is confident that her team will find its groove.

"We all get along so well, I really enjoy being on this team," Youngberg said. "Everyone has room to improve. It all depends on how hard we work to get to where we want to be."

The Saints are counting on the senior-freshman team of Amanda Gomez and Erin Bowman to have a big season at No. 1 doubles. The duo finished fourth at their invite.

"They're still trying to learn how to be a doubles team, because Erin has not had doubles experience," St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer said. "She and Amanda complement each other very nicely on the court."

Though the Saints will soon be in the thick of the tough Upstate Eight Conference season, Drawer continues to try out different things with some of her team's moving parts, determined to find the best combination.

"I want to believe we are as strong as last year's team, but sometimes I don't feel that way," Drawer said. "We have the potential to get there. We just need to solidify some things."