Jaglan helps Fillies jell

Sonam Jaglan may not be Barrington's best tennis player. She may not contend for a title or provide the Fillies with the most points in this week's state tournament.

But ask Barrington coach Tracy Waters or any of her teammates, and they'll tell you Jaglan's going to be just as valuable to their success this week as anyone on the court.

It's not that Jaglan is bad at tennis. She and Dana Pierce did win the Mid-Suburban League No. 2 doubles title, took second only to Barrington's top team at sectionals and is expected to win a few matches at state. It's just her leadership and enthusiasm are her greatest assets.

"She's high-spirited," Waters said. "She just makes it fun. She makes it loose. She's that kid that cheers you on. She's been a lot of fun."

To Jaglan's surprise, she was named with fellow senior Kelsey Linden as a captain this season. It was an honor and a responsibility in Jaglan's eyes.

Being captain, she wanted to create a strong bond between her teammates and make the season fun.

"I was really excited when I was named captain," Jaglan said. "I wanted to do something special with the team."

One of the things she did was create a sort of a gameball to be handed out after every Barrington meet. Instead of a ball, though, Jaglan decided to use a small horse to represent the team's Fillies nickname. The person who receives the horse is responsible of adding an artifact to it and then handing it off to someone following the next meet.

After a full season, the horse is now complete with a nose ring and bandana.

Aside from some new team rituals, Jaglan simply has tried to provide the team with a spark of energy with her enthusiasm. When she's done playing this week, she can be found behind the fence and cheering loudly for Linden and Kristy Dodge to win a state doubles title.

It's just part of her personality.

"I like people and I like talking to people," Jaglan said. "I like to have fun."

Dana Pierce knows best. Being her doubles partner all season, Pierce, the quieter one of the two, has benefited from Jaglan's outgoing personality.

"She really helps me when I'm down or not playing well," Pierce said. "She just knows what to say to get me going."

The doubles team has needed a jumpstart at times this season. They haven't lost much, but they have been behind a number of times.

The latest occurrence came on Saturday in the Rolling Meadows sectional. In the second set of the semifinals, Jaglan and Pierce trailed Meadows' doubles team 5-2.

After a few words from Waters and a few more from Jaglan, the Fillies bounced back and won the set and the match.

"I said to them, 'Gosh, we've been here before,' " Waters said. "We've been in worse. Been there, done that.'

"Sonam's a talker. She talks Dana through it. She gives both of them pep talks. She keeps their spirits up."

Sonam believes she and Pierce are at their best when they're trailing.

"I feel like when we're down it motivates us to play better," she said. "We're fighters. We know we've come from behind before and we can do it again.

"I sometimes think it's easier to play when you're down. When you're up, the pressure's on you. When you're down, you have nothing to lose."