Scouting Fox Valley area girls tennis teams

Bartlett Hawks

Coach: Sue Hannula (third season)

2009 record: 10-7, 6-5 and 7th place in Upstate Eight Conference

Top returning players: Jen Parado, Kaylen Kress, Katie Gates, Mary Joe Baubkus, Eram Haider.

Key newcomers: Jennifer Gates, Gabby Gregoria

Outlook: Freshman Gates is the team's No. 1 singles player, while Parado is at No .2 singles. Kress and Katie Gates, who Hannula noted showed improvement at the end of the season, are together at No. 1 doubles again. Baubkus and Haider, both juniors, will play doubles. Gregoria is at No. 2 doubles, but is also a strong singles player. "We are still very solid at all three singles and our one and two doubles are also very solid," said Hannula. "Numbers 3 and 4 doubles could be a surprise if these teams learn to work together." Bartlett is part of the new UEC Valley Division. "With the new divisions, of course, we want to finish top 4 and maybe top 2 or 3. We hope to go deep into the conference tournament win some top 3 finishes at every spot. I do believe Jen Gates has a very solid chance to place at sectional and go to state as a freshman. She is very tournament tough and has a very solid all-around game. I'm hoping our No. 1 doubles team (Kress and Katie Gates) can put solid games together this year and make it to state in their junior year. They have been playing together for two years now." Hannula pegs Neuqua Valley as the division favorite this year. "I really want to just see this team mature as athletes and become better tennis players," said Hannula. "This is a team that can set some high-water marks for our school. This is the strongest team we have ever had since the Martina Wodzinski era of five or six years ago. I tell the girls they have to work hard and then let their rackets do the talking for us. My girls have a good attitude and had a good summer of camp participation. I hope we can turn a few heads this fall."

Cary-Grove Trojans

Coach: Bud Lachel (37th season)

2009 finish: 4th place Fox Valley Conference

Top players: Seniors Jocelyn Russel, Val Pierce, Jacqueline Price, juniors Beth Hughes, Amanda Dorsey, Kaitlin Kownick, Arley Bayer, Becky King, Jessica McKune, Bridget Dorsey, Jayna Patel

Outlook: Lachel likes the consistency he sees throughout his lineup this season. "We've got nice kids who are steady out there," said Lachel. "They work hard. We don't put a lot of power on the ball right now, but they're learning to put power on the ball when they play." Amanda Dorsey, the team's No. 1 singles player on the sophomore team last year, will play No. 1 on varsity this year. Lachel noted the FVC is once again burgeoning with outstanding girls tennis talent. "The team we have right now would do very well normally," said Lachel. "We don't have normally in our conference. We're going to go out there and do the very best we can."

Crystal Lake South Gators

Coach: Don Nead (31st season)

2009 finish: 2nd place Fox Valley Conference

Top returning players: Seniors Abbey Kolarczyk, Kamile Udrenaite, Caitlyn Gesicki, junior Heather Roesslein, sophomores Marisa Thome, Rachel Siemon, Kim Goodwin.

Key newcomers: Seniors Brittany Pittas, Amanda Ulen, junior Emily Olszak, freshmen Kelsey Laktash, Julia Thome.

Outlook: Nead, in his 31st year coaching girls tennis at South and 43rd year coaching the sport at the school, returns seven players from last year's FVC tournament lineup. Marisa Thome (No. 1 singles), Kolarczyk (No. 1 doubles) and Siemon (No. 1 doubles) are all returning state qualifiers. "It's nice to have Marissa, Abbey and Rachel. They make a good nucleus and give you good leadership," said Nead. Pittas and Udrenaite are at No. 2 doubles, while Laktash and Julia Thome are at No. 2 and No. 3 singles respectively. "We're young," said Nead. "We have several freshmen and sophomores in the lineup. It looks good for the future. How our young players are able to control their nerves under pressure will determine the success of the team." South lost to Crystal Lake Central 5-2, but lost two of the contests in three sets (3 and 4 doubles). "The conference is loaded," said Nead. "I think we can be in that top tier."

Dundee-Crown Chargers

Coach: Janet Malecek (15th season)

2009 finish: 12th Fox Valley Conference

Top players: Seniors Ale Ballester, Kathleen Fahy, Nikki Heredia, Marija Maretic, Isabel Bieri, Olivia Dydyna, Jessica Skiba, Ana Sierra, juniors Ariel Annis, Hailey Tabel, Bree Saleem, sophomores Cassie McElroy, Kelsey Simpson

Outlook: Dundee-Crown will be a veteran-laden team with 15 seniors on the roster. Ballester is back at No. 1 singles after winning 19 matches last year. This is her fourth year on the varsity. Fahy and Heredia make up the No. 1 doubles team, while Maretic and Bieri are at No. 2 doubles. Dydyna and Sierra will play No. 3 doubles, while Skiba and new junior Annis are at No. 4 doubles. Tabel (No. 2) and Saleem (No. 3) round out the singles starting lineup. "We're returning 15 seniors, so all of our players have experience at the varsity level," said Malecek. "Many have played tournaments this summer and have worked hard on their games. They are a cohesive group that sticks together in their work on the court and in their academic and social lives. What a great group of girls I am privileged to have this year."

Elgin Maroons

Coach: Jan LaBar (second season)

Top returning players: Seniors Jordaizn Castanos, Erica Peters, junior Annie Noravong, sophomore Jacey Sirinit

Key newcomers: Sophomore Boryana Borisova

Outlook: Sirinit, who qualified for state as a freshman, has been sidelined with illness and has not practiced with the team as of this writing. Sirinit, though, said she is close to returning to the team. LaBar feels the team has a shot of improving its won-loss record from a year ago. "I do think we'll have a better record and I do think we'll be improved as a team," she said. "The girls have worked on their games. I think we'll see some improvement." Borisova is an emerging talent for the Maroons. "She really has shown a lot of promise," said LaBar. "She's developed very quickly." Elgin has only two seniors on the team this season. "We will work hard to improve each level and hope to compete for a top spot in our sectional," said LaBar. "We have a core group of committed players. Our goal is to improve individually and as a team and improve our results from last year."

Elgin Academy Hilltoppers

Coach: Greg Repede (sixth season)

2009 finish: 7th place Independent School League

Top returning players: Seniors Taylor Yavari, Yoon Choi, Neha Khemani, juniors Lauren Ficken, sophomore Jordan Kaufman

Key newcomers: Sophomore Sedona Georgescu, freshmen Jordan Yavari, Sofia Skok

Outlook: Repede is excited about the 2010 season. "It's always a very tough conference. I don't anticipate contending for the 2010 title. However, we have our deepest team ever," said Repede. "They are hard-workers, coachable and eager to improve. They are very close and supportive of each other. Based on early results, we have a very good chance of having the most successful team in Elgin Academy history. Every returning player has improved from a year ago. Taylor Yavari will play No. 1 singles. Choi and Khemani will play No. 1 doubles, while Kaufman and Ficken are at No. 2 doubles. Jordan Yavari will play No. 2 singles, while Skok and Georgescu will play No. 3 doubles. "This is overall the strongest group of new players we have ever welcomed into the program," said Repede.

Hampshire Whip-Purs

Coach: Aaron Holmer (first season)

2009 finish: Sectional champions

Top returning players: Seniors Taylor Zilch, Emily Moser, juniors Kendall Walker, Stacy Krach, Stephanie Lumino

Key newcomers: Seniors Katie Mazur, Jill Peterson, freshman Monica Patthana

Outlook: Holmer, an assistant on the boys and girls teams last year, takes over a team that returns a number of successful players from a year ago. Zilch and Moser will play No. 2 doubles and had a sectional win last year. Walker and Krach comprise the No. 1 doubles team, while Lumino and Peterson will play No. 3 doubles. Patthana, the younger sister of former No. 1 doubles player Vanassa Patthana, will play No. 1 singles. Mazur is at No. 2 singles. "We have a great core of returning players that are energetic and love to play the game of tennis," said Holmer. "Our new players are eager to learn the game and work extremely hard on a daily basis." Hampshire is in only its third year of existence as a program. "For the majority of our players, this will be a learning experience because they have never played tennis before," said Holmer. "We are optimistic that some of our veteran players will have individual success."

Huntley Red Raiders

Coach: Barry Wells (sixth season)

2009 finish: 11th place Fox Valley Conference

Top returning players: Seniors Sam Chapman, Bri Roeser, Lydia Jiang, Kelly Wuich, sophomores Kayla Garcia, Kelly Frankel

Key newcomers: Freshmen Brooke Romero, Allyson Pietrusiak

Outlook: The Red Raiders have plenty of experience back and have their sights set on moving up the FVC ladder. "We have better depth than last year," said Wells. "We have a strong group of returning seniors and some good young talent. I think we can finish with a good record and hopefully quality multiple players for the state tournament." Chapman qualified for state in doubles last year. Roeser is the team's No. 1 singles player, while Wuich will be part of the No. 1 doubles team with newcomer Romero.

Jacobs Golden Eagles

Coach: Jon Betts (sixth season)

2009 finish: 17-5, 7-5 Fox Valley Conference

Top returning players: Seniors Alex Buettner, Becky Oberhauser, Lindsey Gardeck, juniors Marcilyn Rowan, Lauren Steinkamp, Autumn Hackett, Anna Taylor, Kassy Bernardo, sophomore Megan Elliot

Key newcomers: Sophomores Alina Zabolotico, Emily Alessio, freshman Sydney Nowak, Rachael Buttolph

Outlook: Coaches throughout the FVC peg Jacobs as a team to keep an eye on the season. The Golden Eagles graduated no top athletes and return the state-qualifying doubles teams of Gardeck and Bernardo and Rowan and Steinkamp (Gardeck and Bernardo beat Rowan and Steinkamp for the sectional title). "Our girls have been working hard throughout the off-season," said Betts. "We expect a strong showing this fall. We should be able to rely heavily on the great experience and depth we have in our starting doubles lineup and are excited to watch our young and talented group of singles player compete and develop this season. Our goal is to finish at the very top of the Fox Valley Conference and to win our sectional. Aside from the strong competition we know we'll face this year, we know that to be successful, it's important for us to stay confident and play aggressive tennis every day. Betts pegs teams like Prairie Ridge, Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South as top-tier contenders in the conference.

Larkin Royals

Coach: Bob Young (eighth season)

2009 finish: 11th place Upstate Eight

Top returning players: Seniors Alexis DeWitt, Lea Tiaokhiao, junior Shelby Matison, sophomore Ellie Weber

Key newcomers: Junior Danielle Bauer, freshman Meryl Hansana

Outlook: Young is excited about the amount of talent he has on this year's squad. "We have a much deeper team than last season," said Young. "The ladies are willing to work hard, have great attitudes and are improving each day." Matison is the team's No. 1 singles player, while Tiaokhiao is at the No. 2 singles position. DeWitt and newcomer Hansana comprise the No. 1 doubles team, while Weber and Bauer are at No. 2. "We'll be more competitive this year due to the fact that the ladies have put in a great amount of time in the off-season," said Young. "How does that translate into wins? I am not certain. Our focus is on playing better tennis each time on the court. We will go out and compete at a high level."

St. Edward Green Wave

Coach: Jaci Corn (second season)

2009 finish: 2-12, 1-6 Suburban Christian Conference

Top returning players: Seniors Fran Mangahas, Allison Knott, Colleen Knott, Emily Schultz, Molly Pierce, Chelsea Scarnegie, sophomore Kailey Durkin

Key newcomers: Freshmen Aime Picazo, Eva Navarro

Outlook: Corn, who is also the school's head softball coach, would like to see her squad improve at and gain knowledge about the sport this season. "We have a team goal to win more games than last year and take defeat graciously," she said. "One strength is that we know how to have fun and never put our heads down." While Corn acknowledges the SCC is filled with strong players and teams, she believes the competition will only help her team in the long run. "We are in a tough conference and will have to keep in mind that our conference matches are a good preparation for sectionals," she said.

South Elgin Storm

Coach: Melissa Tuftedal (fifth season)

2009 finish: 9th place Upstate Eight Conference

Top returning players: Seniors Michelle Nee, Chelsey Satterlee, Lauren Dearman, Caitlyn Matlak, Holly Viager, junior Tessa Hanlon

Key newcomers: Juniors Mary Hall, Lizzy Marchosky, sophomores Nikha Phengsavath, Jessica Keller, Abbey Garnett

Outlook: Tuftedal has been impressed with the team's hard-working nature and determination to win. "We are looking forward to a good season," she said. "We have a great combination of veteran players as well as a number of girls that have moved up to varsity. It should be an exciting season." Nee is the team's No. 1 singles player, while Satterlee and Dearman will play No. 1 doubles for the Storm. Phengsavath (No. 2) and Keller (No. 3) are both sophomores who will contribute in the singles lineup. South Elgin and Bartlett are the U-46 schools in the new UEC Valley Division. "We look forward to seeing a high level of competition," said Tuftedal.

Streamwood Sabres

Coach: Miriam Abe

Top returning players: Seniors Jennifer Mellenthin, Kaoru Enami, juniors Brooke Speckman, Dena Raposa, Suri Jimenez.

Outlook: Streamwood returns Mellenthin, a state qualifier from a year ago. Mellenthin has started the 2010 season strong by winning a title at the recent Huntley quad. "I think Jennifer has a good chance to be a state qualifier again," said Abe. Speckman and Enami are at No. 1 doubles, while Reposa will play No. 2 singles and Jimenez will play No. 3 singles. "Our top players have more experience this year," said Abe. "Everybody else is new to the varsity and they still need to get into varsity meets." Streamwood will host the UEC River Division tournament this season.