Qualifying players for state didn't take Hampshire long
That sure didn't take long.
In just its second year of existence, the Hampshire girls tennis team, under the direction of second-year coach Barry Hanrahan (who begins his fifth season next spring as the Jacobs boys coach), made quite a statement last weekend by winning the Elgin sectional team title and qualifying 3 players for today's state finals at various sites around the northwest suburbs.
State qualifiers Kate Hougland and the team of Kelsey Burke and Vanassa Patthana were key contributors to a program that went from 1 dual win in 2008 to 9 this season.
"Everybody on the team works together well," said Hougland, who has been home-schooled all 4 of her high school years. "Our No. 2 doubles team (Taylor Zilch and Emily Moser) helped out by getting to the qualifying round and getting us points. Everybody has pitched in and helped. It's cool to see that."
Hougland will bring a 21-9 record into her first-round match against Rockford Boylan junior Brianna Markgraf at Palatine High School today.
"My all-around game has improved a lot," said Hougland. "Both of our coaches have done really well teaching us. We've all really improved all around."
The senior duo of Burke and Patthana is 22-9 on the season and will face the Downstate Morton duo of seniors Paige Clayton and Ashley Martin at Buffalo Grove High School.
"I'm very happy for the girls," said Hanrahan, who also lauded the efforts of assistant coach Aaron Holmer. "They have been preparing mentally all year. They did pretty well at the sectional. If they play their best, anything can happen."
The three Hampshire qualifiers are part of a total of 17 area competitors who earned state berths.
Elgin freshman Jacey Sirinit won the sectional singles title last weekend and is the school's first individual girls sectional champion since area great Laura DeHaan won back in 2000 (claiming her fourth and final state tournament trip).
Sirinit will face New Trier sophomore Alana Peters at Prospect High School in the opening round. A meeting with Neuqua Valley sophomore Emily Meyers, who earned a 17-32 ranking in the tournament, could occur in the second round.
Other area singles qualifiers include Elgin Academy senior Bianca Swegler, Streamwood junior Jennifer Mellenthin and Crystal Lake South freshman Marisa Thome (who is part of a Gators team that qualified an area-high 5 players for state).
Jacobs will send both of its doubles teams into action today. Sophomore Kassandra Bernardo and junior Lindsey Gardeck beat sophomore teammates Marcilyn Rowan and Lauren Steinkamp for the Elgin doubles sectional title.
This is the third straight year Jacobs has qualified 2 doubles teams for state. The Golden Eagles have sent at least 1 doubles team to state in each of the last 7 seasons.
The Huntley duo of senior Ashley Pietrusiak and junior Sam Chapman are also in the doubles field along with the Crystal Lake South duos of Stephanie Brunetti (senior) and Abbey Kolarczyk (junior) and Rachel Boorom (senior) and Rachel Siemon (freshman).
Elgin Academy's Swegler and the South duo of Brunetti and Kolarczyk are all making their second straight state finals appearance.