WW South's Clousing cruises to title
She's only a freshman, but Keisha Clousing displayed the mentality of a seasoned veteran in winning three matches and the singles championship of the Naperville North sectional.
Clousing, a highly ranked USTA player prior to high school and the winner of last week's first-singles title of the DuPage Valley Conference, qualified for her first state tournament by going through the sectional with decisive wins, and she never let down despite the wide margins of her victories.
Clousing won her first two matches 6-0, 6-0 and then defeated Benet's Cassie Kovach 6-0, 6-2 in the finals.
“She was able to stay focused all day, said Patty Clousing, the Wheaton Warrenville South coach and Keisha's mother. “That really showed me something. There were a lot of alums players who came back today, and her whole team was there rooting for her. But she didn't let anything on the outside, or the score of the match, affect her game. She hit a lot of tough shots and she knows she's going to have to continue to do that in the state tournament.
“You have to stay focused whether you're winning or losing, Keisha Clousing said. “I was playing well today, better than usual. I was able to go for more and more as each match went on. In the finals I seemed to be getting everything in.
By finishing in the top four in the sectional, Clousing and Kovach both qualified for state, as did the third- and fourth-place finishers Kelsey Chin of Metea Valley and Leah Tzakis of Benet.
Benet won the team sectional championship Saturday and qualified its entire team, two singles players and two doubles teams, for state.
The Redwings finished 1-2 in the doubles bracket as Madeline Carney and Kim Simmons defeated their teammates Mary Beth King and Daniella Reyes 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).
Also qualifying for state were Naperville Central's doubles Meghan Griffin and Cindy Liu and the team they defeated 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the third-place match Alexa Geist and Kelley Cain of Neuqua Valley.
The Redwings, who went undefeated at 22-0 during the regular season, have been the strongest team in the area all year.
“The results were just what we expected, said Benet coach Bob Comerford. “We knew we had good doubles and singles, it was just a matter of how it would play out at sectionals. We're not satisfied with just getting to state. Our goal is to do well and finish in the top 10.
Comerford praised sophomores King and Reyes for how hard they worked at doubles in their first year together.
“They've started moving like a doubles team on the court, Comerford said. “As the year went on they developed their positioning on the court and the intuitive sense that a doubles team gets from playing with each other for 20 matches.
Benet won the sectional with 32 points to second-place Naperville Central's 15.
Neuqua Valley was third with 14 points followed by Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South with 10, Metea Valley with 9 and Wheaton North with 8 points.