Neuqua endures learning experience

Neuqua Valley's second-doubles team of Andy Frandsen and Tyler Wall weren't going to let themselves be intimidated by an opponent that went deep into last year's state tournament.

The performance by Frandsen, a junior, and Wall, a sophomore, was the Wildcats' brightest spot Wednesday in a 7-0 whitewashing by host and two-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central.

The Neuqua duo, who won the Upstate Eight Conference third-doubles title last year, put up an impressive fight against Hinsdale Central's Paul Cooper and Josh Sink before falling 6-3, 6-4 as the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season.

"They were playing great, but we played as well as we have all season," Wall said. "So we have nothing to be sad about."

After challenging in the first set, but losing 6-3, Frandsen and Wall were ahead 3-2 in the second set when Cooper and Sink kicked it up another notch.

"We tried to keep them guessing," Wall said. "We tried to serve it to their backhand and mix things up a little bit. Their returns weren't on as they normally were. But then they started to play better."

"We thought we were going to get killed," Frandsen said. "But then we came out and played hard. We communicated well and my serve was pretty strong. We were pretty good playing against a team that made it to top 16 in state."

Frandsen and Wall have this year's state tournament as their goal, and Neuqua coach Trudy Bennorth believes they can do it.

"This should have been a real confidence builder for them," Bennorth said. "I'm proud of how they played today. They had good serve returns and they were closing in the net."

The other six matches in the two singles, five doubles format were all routs for the Red Devils (5-0), who return their entire six-man lineup from last year's championship team.

Besides Frandsen and Wall, only Brian Glavin, who lost 6-0, 6-2 to top 16 finisher Krishna Ravella, managed to take two games in a set for the Wildcats (8-1).

"I was up 2-0 in the second set," Glavin said. "My serve was on and I jammed him a couple of times. But then he hit some shots I couldn't handle. When I came to the net, he hit some unbelievable passing shots.

Even though he lost, Glavin thought he was better for the experience.

"You learn," Glavin said. "You get better by playing someone who gives you so many rally balls to hit. He'd always give me one more ball than I could get to and that frustrated me."

Ravella agreed that Glavin's serve was strong throughout their match.

"There were a couple of deuce games where he didn't convert," Ravella said. "If he had, he could have made the score a little closer."

Bennorth believes that stepping up a level to play the Red Devils will help her young team in the long run.

"Everyone's good in their own little bubble," she said. "But when you get in with the big fish, you find out what you have to do to swim with them. We saw how much work we have to do to get to that next level."