Neuqua Valley stops St. Charles North
An interesting battle is brewing for the Neuqua Valley boys tennis team's No. 1 singles spot.
Junior Brian Glavin, who qualified for state last year at second singles, is being challenged by sophomore Michael Baiocchi.
Both singles players notched impressive victories as the defending Upstate Eight Conference champion Wildcats won their conference opener 6-1 over visiting St. Charles North.
Baiocchi won his first-singles match 6-4, 6-2 over Christian Hoskey, while Glavin defeated the North Stars' Nick Mehta 6-2, 6-2.
"They both played really well today," said Neuqua Valley coach Trudy Bennorth.
"Brian is a strong established player with state experience, and Michael worked really hard this summer playing in USTA tournaments. He's playing a smarter game and he's playing with more confidence."
Bennorth said that in head-to-head competition each has won a three-set challenge match, and they'll be facing each other in a rubber match at practice this week that will determine who gets to play first singles.
Neuqua's new first-doubles team of senior Skeeter Plowman and junior Patrick Carpio played their first match together at No. 2 doubles and came away with a 6-2, 6-0 win.
Plowman went to top 16 at state last year with graduated partner Chase Perry and Carpio, a ranked singles player by the USTA, is in his first year on the Neuqua varsity.
They promise to be a fine combination when they establish the communication and chemistry that's needed for successful doubles play.
"Patrick is a talented player," Plowman said. "He just has to learn the small things that are part of doubles play. But he'll pick it up quickly. We've made huge improvements already."
"The biggest difference for me is playing at the net," Carpio said "That hasn't really been my game, but we've been working on it. Skeeter is unstoppable at the net, and he knows the court really well. He knows when to move back and when to take a short ball approach. In fact he knows everything about doubles. And he's communicating with me."
Bennorth was also happy with the play of third-doubles Tim Worley and Nick Anderson, who won 6-3, 6-2.
"Our second and third doubles are new combos and they did really well," Bennorth said
St. Charles North won first doubles as the state-qualifying duo of David Johnson and John Mittvick defeated Neuqua's state qualifiers Tyler Wall and Andy Frandsen, 6-1, 6-4.
"We just tried to stay consistent," Johnson said. "We stopped being aggressive in the second set, but we pulled it out."
"David has the touch and he's a scrambler," Mittvick said. "I have the power. That combination has worked out well for us."