Dechter, Minor make state semis
Mundelein certainly is well represented in the girls tennis state finals, which wraps up its three-day run on Saturday at Prospect.
The shocking, season-ending spurt from Mundelein's Ari Dechter continues, and she's now in the singles semifinals – two wins from a state championship.
Same goes for Carmel's Jasmine Minor.
“An all-Mundelein championship, yeah, that'd be really fun,” Dechter said.
Dechter on Friday defeated Maine South's Audrey O'Connor 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round, then slipped past Nelle Youel of Crystal Lake Central 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Minor, meanwhile, defeated Nell Boyd of Buffalo Grove 6-2, 6-1 on Friday, and then stopped Lake Forest's Katie Zordani 7-1, 7-5.
“I'm glad I did so well today to back up that (Thursday) win (over the No. 1 seed, Maddie Lipp, of Lake Forest), to show (that win) wasn't just a fluke,” Dechter said. “I'm really excited, but I don't want to think too far ahead or get too carried away; I'm just gonna take it game by game, point by point and stay mentally tough.”
Dechter faces Wheaton Warrenville South's Keisha Clousing in the semifinals, after Clousing stopped Barrington's Kristy Dodge 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Minor faces Hanna Yu (Glenbrook North) in the other semifinal after Yu defeated Schaumburg's Monica Lin 6-2, 6-4.
“I'm pretty excited; I'm happy with how I've been playing and my results so far. I just hope I can continue (on Saturday). Hopefully I can keep up the way I'm playing and it all comes together in the end,” Minor said.
“I thought (Friday) was pretty good, though I don't think I played as well as I did (on Thursday). I had a little trouble getting my rhythm going, but as I got deeper into my matches, I was able to come up with the shots that I wanted. I thought my serves and my ground strokes were really good today; that definitely was a big help. Saturday is just going to be about retaining the energy and the competitiveness and just going after my shots and keeping a positive attitude.”
Minor said patience was the key to topping Boyd, especially since Boyd “is one of those (players) who can run down any ball pretty much,” she said.
Minor had to fight for her life, and the win, against Lake Forest's Zordani, especially after leading 5-2 in the second set and not being able to put her away.
“I should have done a better job closing it out,” Minor said. “I just didn't stay on top of what I was doing, and she started playing better. That led to a much tighter match than it should have been.
“I just had to put myself in my own little bubble, ignore the crowd, ignore everything else going on around me and just stay calm. That was a huge thing in the tough points and the pressure situations, so I'm glad I pulled it through.”
Minor struggled to silence Zordani, busting on several match points.
“I just kind of lost my mojo a little bit, for whatever reason. She stepped up her game and I backed up a little,” Minor said. “I really was nervous (late in the match); it was the state tournament with a lot of pressure. But I just relaxed and got through it.”
The first doubles semifinal Saturday pits Haleigh McPeek and Elizabeth Zordani (Lake Forest) against New Trier's Mari Georgiadis and Emily Barretta, while Marika Cusick and Caroline Lorenzini (Hinsdale Central) face Amy Kuhle and Tracy Kuhle (Decaur St. Teresa).
Lake Forest heads into the final day of play leading the team standings with 36 points. Hinsdale Central (32) is second, followed by New Trier (31), Deerfield (24) and Glenbrook North (24).
Mundelein is ninth (17), while Stevenson (12) is tied for 16th with Carmel and Wheaton Warrenville South.
Minor hasn't faced Yu since last June, but knows she, “tends to be more powerful than most of the other girls (in the high school ranks),” Minor said. “She likes to put balls away quickly, though so do I. So I'll basically just stay with the gameplan and stay positive and fight. (Saturday) is all about who will compete the hardest.
“I just take one point at a time, one match at a time. I can't think about the finals, or what's going on in the other semifinals. Saturday's matches will not be easy, so I'm just taking it one baby step at a time.”
Dechter and Clousing have battled before, and Dechter said, “I know I'll need good footwork and a positive attitude, and must be ready for any adversity, especially if there's rain. I just have to stay focused and ready.”
Stevenson's Alexxis Kiven lost 6-4, 6-2 to Barrington's Kristy Dodge in the quarterfinals on Friday, while Grayslake North's Kelly Poggensee-Wei lost 6-4, 6-2 to Lin.