Rain sends Lake County players indoors
It's the first day of the IHSA girls state tennis tournament. The players are excited, antsy, and nervous all at the same time.
They just want to play, but they must wait a few hours - filling the time by studying the draw sheets, studying their homework, eating, stretching and thinking about their first match.
A rainy Thursday forced play to indoor sites, and a delay in start time for matches scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at some locations.
"I just sat around and waited," Buffalo Grove's Nell Boyd said. "I got up a few times and stretched. I ate food, but that was about it. You just had to wait, and we couldn't leave either."
Boyd won her first two matches, as did Lake Forest's Katie Zordani. The other first-round winners in singles included Mundelein's Hanne MacDonald and Ari Dechter, Warren's Michelle Dutt, Grayslake North's Kelly Poggensee-Wei, Stevenson's Trish Chari and Lake Forest's Maddie Lipp.
Zordani defeated MacDonald 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. Dechter and Chari also lost their second matches of the day.
In doubles, the first-round winners included Lake Forest's Faith Bassiouny/Taya Zoubareva and Claire DiMario/Haleigh McPeek, Libertyville's Meghan Ahlgrim/M.K. Lee and Mundelein's Paige Parola/Ali MacDonald.
In the second round, Bassiouny/Zourbareva won again, as did Parola/MacDonald. The losers included Ahlgrim/Lee and DiMario/McPeek.
Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel said he didn't think the weather delays and competition being moved inside threw Boyd off at all. He added that his team had been practicing indoors a lot in recent weeks because of the inclement weather.
"It's a different game inside," Schrammel said. "I don't think for one minute she felt uncomfortable, and we weren't going to change much of her game."
Schrammel said it's just a different feeling playing inside versus outdoors.
"Obviously it's the same sized court and ball and all that, but it's just different for some reason," he said.
"It might have helped that we've practiced inside during the past couple weeks."
Boyd won her first two matches, which were moved from Conant to Hinsdale Racquet Club. Boyd will play Rosary's Emily Reuland - a top 16 seed - today.
All players and coaches are supposed to meet at Prospect, which serves as tournament central, at 7:45 a.m. today to determine where matches will be played.
"I know I'm playing a seeded player," Boyd said. "She's in the bracket higher than me, so she should be pretty good. I just got to go to bed early and get mentally prepared for tomorrow just because it's single-elimination."
The rain has wiped out the tournament back draw, and the players know their seasons rest on a single match.
"It's all or nothing," Boyd said. "It changes a lot of things in how you play. It's a little nerve-racking. You're kind of uptight, and it puts more pressure on you."
Most players were able to play two matches Thursday, but some only played one. Every site is not at the same point in the tournament.
Other area players will continue tournament play today.
Deerfield has the team lead with 14 points. Barrington has 12 points and is tied for second with Lake Forest, Glenbrook North and New Trier. Buffalo Grove is eighth with 8 points.