It's a piece of cake for Perkins

Hersey's Annie Perkins realized she'd experience some rough days this season as a sophomore playing at No. 1 singles.

That was confirmed when she went up against the likes of Fremd's Jenna Langhorst, Buffalo Grove's Nell Boyd and an assortment of players from the North Shore earlier in the year. They all were a step or two above her in talent.

But now that she's gone through that ringer a few times and the season has passed the halfway mark, Perkins has put behind those rough days at No. 1 singles. Lately, it's been a lot more of a paved path for her.

On Wednesday, she continued that route as she won in straight sets over Wheeling's No. 1 player while helping Hersey to a 7-0 win over the Wildcats in a Mid-Suburban East match up in Arlington Heights.

"Annie has gotten better every day out there," Hersey coach Matt Norris said. "It's been a pleasure to watch. It's been because of more practice and confidence for her."

The key for Perkins was not to get down herself as she took her lumps early in the season. When she went up against a top singles player, she made sure to keep a positive mindset.

"I went into the match not thinking about losing, but looking at it as a learning experience," said Perkins, who is .500 on the season. "I learned a lot going up against those players. I watched how they moved after they hit the ball. I learned how to return serves. I learned that I have to play my game."

It's been a similar story for the rest of the Huskies. After starting out the year slow, they've turned it on as of late. With Wednesday's win, Hersey extended its winning streak to three and has won seven of its last 10 dual meets.

"We've played the best we've played all year right now," Norris said. "We just got more experience. We're more confident than in the beginning of the year. We believe we're going to win every time we're out there."

Wednesday's winners included Perkins, Kim Wasielewski (No. 2 singles), Aubrey Hueppner (No. 3 singles), Sandra Filipp/Alison Huesli (No. 1 doubles), Katie Meyer/Saori Chiba (No. 2 doubles), Erica Borst/Suzanne McMurray (No. 3 doubles) and Elizabeth Alpert/Sara Hill (No. 4 doubles).

For Wheeling, it's been a year of learning. With only two returning players from last year's varsity team, the Wildcats have dealt with a lot of youth and inexperience this season.

"We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores playing," Wheeling coach Jim Christopher said. "I think we've got a good future."