Libertyville rises to the top at Fremd Invite
Eight teams assembled Saturday afternoon at Fremd High School and Harper College to compete in Fremd's invite.
After seven hours of tennis, Libertyville captured top honors with 41 points. Buffalo Grove took second with 36 points and Jacobs was third with 35.
"We did well last year taking second in this invite," said Libertyville coach Steve Paulson. "BG is a strong team, and I am expecting good things. The girls came to play today."
Libertyville's No. 2 doubles team of Emily Paul and Maggie O'Brien defeated their opponent 5-7, 6-3, with a 7-5 tiebreaker. The Libertyville Sharon Guan, Aranxta Garcia-Escobar tandem won their No. 3 doubles final 6-0, 7-5.
Libertyville collectively did not place any lower than third place all day.
"We had a lot of preparation and practice for this," Paulson said. "Our doubles teams won it for us. Between the doubles at the other site (Harper) and the ones here, we pulled it out tonight. We had good energy today. The girls are excited to win and that's good to see."
At No. 1 and No. 2 singles, Buffalo Grove won both finals, solidifying their second-place finish. Buffalo Grove's No. 1 singles player Nell Boyd defeated Libertyville's Sarah Paulson 6-3, 6-1. Paulson stands at 3-3 on the season.
"I haven't been doing well lately," Boyd said. "Today I was hitting a lot better. I'm glad I'm taking some steps forward to get back on track."
At No. 2 singles, Buffalo Grove's Allie Wieland captured a victory against her opponent 6-0, 6-2.
"We did pretty well today, and I'm very happy with (Boyd) and (Wieland)," said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. "With a long day like this, we just have to suck it up. It is more mental than anything. I like the progress we're making."
At No. 3 singles, Conant's Alex Bahadri prevailed in her match 6-3, 6-0.
St. Charles East's No. 1 doubles team defeated its opponent 6-3, 6-0, while Jacobs' No. 4 doubles team seized a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
"A long day like this can tire you out, but this is an endurance sport," said Fenwick coach Gerard Sullivan. "This is always a good tournament. This year was really close as I've ever seen it between the teams."