Scouting DuPage County girls tennis
Top teams: Benet, Downers Grove South, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South, Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, St. Francis, Wheaton Warrenville South, York.
Top players: Benet: Cassie Kovach, so.; Kelly Carney, sr.; Joyce Hanlon, sr.; Kim Simmons, so.; Madeline Carney, so.; Downers Grove North: Claire McNulty, sr.; Downers Grove South: Jenny Hois, sr.; Glenbard East: Megan Wachholz, so.; Glenbard South: Emily Kaczmarek, sr. Glenbard West: Meredith Maltby, so.; Molly Hennessy, fr.; Hinsdale Central: Nida Hamilton, sr.; Hanna Mar, sr.; Marika Cusick, fr.; Caroline Lorenzini, fr.; Hinsdale South: Tiffany Wakim, sr.; Emma Adcock, fr.; Lake Park: Stephanie Lee, so.; Naperville Central: Sonia Nilakhe, jr.; Michelle Fern, sr.; Taylor Spence, sr.; Meghan Griffin, jr.; Naperville North: Surbhi Agaarwal, sr.; Deepthi Ramachandran, jr.; Kamile Stadalninkaite, fr.; Neuqua Valley: Emily Meyers, so.; Ali Peters, sr.; Natalie Peters, sr.; St. Francis: Emily Jagielo, jr. Genna Armbrust, sr. Waubonsie Valley: Kelsey Sappington, sr.; Wheaton Warrenville South: Melanie Milling, sr.; Andrea Kerwin, sr.; Emma Li, fr.; York: Amanda Budnik, sr.; Maria Avgerinos, fr.
Scouting report: Everyone's looking forward to Benet's visit to Neuqua Valley on Oct. 6 for a matchup of two potential top 10 teams. Both have great sophs at first singles, Emily Meyers for the Wildcats and Cassie Kovach for the Redwings, and a deep group of veteran talent behind them. On what could be the best Benet team ever, Kelly Carney and Joyce Hanlon form a well-rounded No. 1 doubles duo, while Madeline Carney and Kim Simmons had a "monster" freshman year and they could give the Redwings a second potential state-level doubles team. Neuqua's three state qualifying returnees are only the beginning of a story of a program that has been one of the most consistent in the area. There are still one or two questions to be answered, but if they are, the Wildcats will go far.
In the DuPage Valley Conference the usual suspects Naperville Central, Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South will battle it out for the title. The steady Redhawks have no superstar, but they do have a savvy bunch of achievers at every position and they're poised to stay at or near the top. The Huskies, who suffered a few conference missteps last year, should bounce back with the aid of several fine newcomers. The Tigers' Melanie Milling and Andrea Kerwin are looking to cap off their excellent careers with a memorable senior season, while Emma Li is a future star. Look to Glenbard East, with an impressive group of up-and-comers, to fill out the first division and maybe even battle the top three.
While Neuqua is the favorite to take its ninth straight Upstate Eight title, Lake Park led by Stephanie Lee and Waubonsie Valley with a lot of depth and an experienced singles lineup should finish in the top half of the conference.
Three-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central is going for the "four-peat", but the Red Devils are going to have to do it without former state doubles champion Courtney Dolehide, who will skip her senior year to participate in professional tournaments. Hanna Mar and Nida Hamilton are two of the best in the state and form the nucleus of a typically deep and outstanding Red Devils team.
West Suburban Silver challengers Glenbard West and York, while not at the Hinsdale Central level, win consistently and usually produce a few formidable state qualifiers who do well in the postseason. The Hilltoppers are pinning their hopes this year on outstanding youngsters like Meredith Maltby and Molly Hennessy, while York's Amanda Budnik and Maria Avgerinos are two standouts on a deep and athletic team. Downers Grove North's McNulty is one of the best players in DuPage County, and the Trojans are hoping they have enough behind her to moves into the top half of a "killer" conference.
In the West Suburban Gold Jenny Hois will complete her illustrious career on a high note as she tries to lead the Mustangs back to the top spot in the conference. Last year's winner, Hinsdale South, returns a deep veteran group, but the story here could be an outstanding freshman class, headed by Emma Adcock, who plays like a veteran.
St. Francis has a six-year conference championship streak going and looks to make it seven in the realigned Suburban Christian Conference, and a youthful Glenbard South will challenge for a top two or three spot in the Western Sun Conference.
Key dates: Downers Grove South team tournament, Sept. 5; St. Charles East Invite, Sept. 12; conference tournaments, Oct. 9-10; sectionals, Oct 16-17, state tournament, Oct. 22-24.
- Neil Shalin