Heavy hitters return at SCN, Geneva

A dozen 2007 state tournament qualifiers populate this year's area girls tennis rosters. Add to that a handful of talented freshmen and newcomers, and you've makings of what should be a highly competitive and potentially memorable season.

Geneva could lead the way, as long as the Vikings can find enough wins throughout their lineup to complement the high caliber talent at the top.

Kayla Fujimoto is back for her junior season after finishing sixth at state a year ago. Fujimoto tore through the regular season, as well as the Western Sun Conference schedule. Fujimoto should be even stronger this year as she anchors Geneva's lineup, and begins a season that should end with a long run at state.

"I have no complaints about my No. 1s," Geneva coach Maureen Weiler said. "We have a lot of talent at one singles and one doubles."

That talent at one doubles comes in the form of a pair of seniors. Mary Pelling and Krista Panko, both state tournament qualifiers a year ago, will give the Vikings one of the area's most experienced doubles teams.

But the rest of the Vikings' lineup has a few question marks.

Juniors Jamie Potts and Alexa Rogers are both solid veteran players, but this is a new team that may go through a bit of a learning curve.

"I'm looking for them to make the transition, and once they get more experience playing together I'm hoping for a lot from them," Weiler said.

One of the more interesting newcomers to watch will be Carly Ausman, a freshman who will slide into the No. 2 singles slot.

"She's played in a lot of tournaments," Weiler said. "She's really an all-around solid player."

The rest of the lineup remains somewhat in flux.

Senior Maddie Suchor will play third singles or third doubles, while sophomore Claire Chlasta and senior Sarah Zacchea will be part of the doubles mix.

"We're looking for depth right now, especially when we play our conference matches," Weiler said.

Depth is something St. Charles North has built and relied upon over the past several years. The North Stars have emerged as a team to watch by winning matches from top to bottom.

The top looks very strong, led by senior Annamijn Koenen who returns as one of the best players in the state.

"This year she has really stepped up to be the leader of our team," St. Charles North coach Tim Matacio said. "She's the one the other players look to. She sets the tone for the rest of our team."

Younger sister Liselot Koenen could play No. 2 singles, or sometimes team up with Annemijn or someone else at the top doubles spot.

"If I played (Annemijn and Liselot Koenen) together they would probably be one of the top eight doubles teams in the state," Matacio said. "We'll just have to see how things go."

As is often the case, much of the North Stars lineup is flexible. That's a good thing for a program that has made a habit of spending its weekends taking on some of the state's best teams.

The North Stars have already faced off against Hinsdale Central, Lyons Township, Highland Park, Glenbrook North, and Edwardsville - all before Labor Day.

"We're trying to get as many good opponents as we can in our nonconference schedule because that's how you get better," Matacio said. "So far we've played five of the top teams in the state and done pretty well against them."

Junior Carly Dutkiewicz rounds out what is potentially the area's best singles lineup.

Lauren Drawbridge and Sarah Amaraj, both juniors, will play first or second doubles. Junior Stephanie Smith and senior Lauren Suminski will also see action at doubles, while Matacio will use three seniors - Michelle Terwilliger, Jordan Jurczak and Danielle Martini to fill out the rest of his lineup.

"I give the girls an opportunity to show where they want to play by the way they do," Matacio said.

Emily Reuland's arrival at Rosary three years ago had a transformative impact on the tennis program. Now a junior, Reuland returns after finishing in the top 25 at state, and looking to move up even higher while leading a team that has talent and experience throughout.

Two years ago Elizabeth Vertin, then a freshman, was Yorkville's No. 1 singles player and a state tournament qualifier. Having sat out her sophomore season after transferring to Rosary, Vertin is now set to give the Royals a powerful one-two punch as she steps into the second singles spot.

"Elizabeth is a very talented player," Rosary coach John Tsang said. "She provides us with the ability to do a number of things with the lineup."

The Suburban Catholic Conference plays a 2-singles, 3-doubles lineup structure, which means that Reuland and Vertin should give the Royals a major advantage in those matches.

"That structure can help us in a way, but it can also be challenging when we play outside of our conference," Tsang said.

Angelina Goheen, a returning state qualifier, will team up with sophomore Katie King at No. 1 doubles.

"Katie played No. 1 singles on the freshman-sophomore team last year, and she's worked very hard during the off-season," Tsang said.

Kerry Zepeda, a junior who played second singles last season, and senior Viatra Baker will team up at No. 2 doubles. Seniors Mary Anderson and Quinn Tentiger will form a new team at No. 3.

"The girls are benefiting from the conditioning that we've been working with them on," Tsang said. "We're outlasting our opponents and doing what we need to do late in the match."

The rest of the Royals' lineup will be made up of seniors Lauren Stephans and Jessi Young, and juniors Kayla Schreiber and Leigh Ann Thomas.

"We're a young team in many respects," Tsang said. "But we're deep and have great chemistry. I really like what I've seen so far."

The big story at Batavia is the Bulldogs' new courts, which will open Sept. 18 when they host Yorkville. Until then, the Bulldogs will have to make due over at Wheeler Park, which ironically is actually located in Geneva.

"The girls are excited about being part of the team that gets to break in the new courts," Batavia coach Brad Nelson said. "That's something that we're really looking forward to."

But the Bulldogs should be able to generate their share of excitement, no matter what court they're playing on.

Junior Kim Sawyer, senior Alexa Schoefield and freshman Hannah Potter will float between the one and two singles spots, as well as No. 1 doubles.

"Kim and Alexa could be our best doubles team," Nelson said. "We have three girls who can potentially play No. 1 singles, and that's definitely a strength."

Junior Mallory Ramp, who played second doubles last season, is penciled in at third singles.

Batavia's combination of depth and flexibility continues on the doubles half of the lineup with senior Jessica Riemenschneider who could play first doubles or second singles.

"She's a legitimate No. 1 doubles player, but she can also play singles very well and that gives us a lot of options," Nelson said.

The Bulldogs have an experienced doubles team at No. 2 with senior Abby Link and junior Elena Mudrak. The third singles slot will be filled by juniors Lauren Berczynski and Erika Connolly who played together last season at the JV level.

Freshman Kaitlin Mills has played herself into the mix and could be a player to watch in the future, while Michele Sepyta returns as a player to watch right now.

The junior missed last season due to an injury after being half of the Western Sun Conference championship No. 3 doubles team her freshman year.

"I'm anticipating that Michele will get stronger as the season goes on," Nelson said. When that happens it should give Nelson yet another lineup option.

"We've talked as a team, and the girls realize that we may have to change things around as the season goes on," Nelson said.

If St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer plans to change things around she may have to do it in a hurry. The Saints hit the ground running with a slew of tough matches in the first two weeks of September, followed by their own invite on the 13th.

"We have some things that we are continuously correcting," Drawer said. "We need to work on the mental part of the game. We need to be more aggressive, and make our opponents do what we want them to do so that we can capitalize on our strengths."

Three-time state qualifier Stefanie Youngberg is back at No. 1 singles, though she may also see some action at doubles.

"Stefanie has played doubles on and off so far," Drawer said. "Getting that extra dimension of playing both singles and doubles makes you a better player."

Juniors Erin Reilly and Lexi Baltes could round out the singles lineup.

"We're moving some players around, so our lineup isn't set yet," Drawer said.

As usual, Drawer will be counting on her to doubles teams to make the difference in tight matches.

Erin Bowman, who made it to state last season as a freshman, will team up with Catey Esler, who will be trying to do the same this year.

"They played very well together this summer in some USTA matches," Drawer said. "They are very comfortable playing together."

As young as the Saints' top team is, the rest of their doubles lineup is all seniors. Alana Herbrand and Courtney Vazquez will team up at No. 2, followed by Anne Mason and Courtney Clauer at third, while Cyrielle Gauther and Sarah Johnson will round out the lineup.

"I have a great deal of confidence that we will continue to improve during the season," Drawer said.

For more than a decade West Aurora tennis has been dominated by one name - Brooks.

Sisters Megan, Courtney and Shannon, along with cousins Lauren and Brooke Henry have played their way through the DuPage Valley Conference and all the way to the state tournament.

Now, all but Brooke Henry have graduated and moved on to college careers, and that means the rebuilding has begun.

"This is definitely going to be a transition for us, and we're still figuring it all out," West Aurora coach Brian Brooks said.

Henry, now a junior, is an experienced state caliber player who will be among the very best in the conference at No. 1 singles.

Junior Briana Patterson will start out at No. 2 singles, but that could change as the season progresses. Lizzy Griffin and Christine Ruddy, both juniors, should be key players in the doubles half of the lineup.

Beyond that, Brooks has a number of players competing for various roles. That list includes senior Shelby Gustillo, juniors Kristen Holmes and Mallory Konstans, sophomores Nicole Maenza and Ariana Rieser, and freshman Jin Lee.

"The kids are very enthusiastic, and we just need to compete," Brooks said. "There's a lot of teaching and working with them, and they will improve throughout the season."

So, according to Brooks, when was the last time he coached a West Aurora team with so little experience?

"Never."

Kaneland is going through a different kind of transition this season as Tim Larsen takes over the reins of head coach after being an assistant for 11 years.

"It's been a pretty easy transition so far," Larsen said. "I've worked with these girls for a while."

He'll have a veteran group to work with, led by seniors Katie Hatch and Emma Anderson at No. 1 doubles.

"They're both very good players, and they play well together," Larsen said.

Kristen Sanecki and Jen Zmrhal, another pair of seniors, move up from third doubles a year ago to No. 2 this season. Juniors Liz Webb and Kelsey Lenhard will play No. 3, while Tessa Kuipers and Mel Mazuc, also both juniors, will be at fourth doubles.

Junior Olivia Emmanouil is penciled in at the top singles spot. Lindsay Jurcenko, who played volleyball last year as a freshman, will be at No. 2 singles this year. Junior Randi Bader rounds out the Knights' singles lineup.

So, can a senior-heavy Kaneland squad step up to the next level?

"We have the ability to do that year," Larsen said. "The first half of our schedule is not as tough as the second, and that should give us the opportunity to get off to a good start."