Barrington, BG to decide title
With a sparser field of hopefuls, the Mid-Suburban League girls tennis tournament survivors reconvened for semifinal play Thursday afternoon.
Buffalo Grove and Barrington top the leader board as the Fillies sent representatives to their respective finals, while the Bison advanced five. The two played each other in an MSL crossover match earlier in the season where Barrington ultimately tallied a 6-1 advantage over the Bison.
Barrington coach Tracy Waters-Miller discounts the past.
“That match was a lot closer than it looked,” Waters-Miller said. “It worries me that (Buffalo Grove) put five in the finals. What it really boils down to is who comes to play (Friday).
“We respect our opponent and know how they play their game. We won’t take anything for granted. We hope the score falls our way. I think we’re ready because we’re sticking together as a team. Either everybody counts, or nobody counts.”
All 12 schools experienced their struggles preparing for the league tournament during a slew of rainstorms in the previous week, cancelling many matches and practices, but it looks like smooth sailing weather-wise for the finals.
In the No. 1 singles bracket, Hoffman sophomore Courtney Lang defeated Conant senior Alex Bahadri 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the finals, while Barrington Lucia Stumbras grabbed the other finals berth by topping Wheeling senior Dani Bitout in two sets.
“All year I’ve been working really hard to improve and get better,” Lang said. “Just because I beat (Stumbras 6-1, 6-1) before, I can’t count her out. She’s a good player.”
Barrington senior Roshni Sharma and Buffalo Grove senior Jenny Immen face off for the No. 2 singles honor. Sharma defeated Prospect junior Jordan Pollock 6-1, 6-2, while Immen earned a victory against Conant sophomore Natalia Migdal 6-0, 6-3.
Sophomore Amy Byrne from Fremd ousted her opponent Hersey, freshman Sara Magnuson, 6-1, 6-4 for the No. 3 singles final. Prospect sophomore Christina Santiago represents Prospect in the No. 3 singles final after winning 6-4, 6-0 against Rolling Meadows sophomore Erin Barry.
In the No. 1 doubles bracket, Barrington sophomore Zoe Kasuriak/senior Kate Allison repeats an earlier matchup this season against Buffalo Grove’s Dana and Lauren Goggin for the final. Kasuriak/Allison registered a victory over Hersey’s No. 1 doubles team 6-0, 6-1 and the Goggin duo won over Rolling Meadows team 6-0, 6-0.
The Kasuriak/Allison tandem edged out a nail biting, back-and-forth victory over the Goggin sisters in their Aug. 30 meeting 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
“We need to mix it up with our game play,” said Dana Goggin in regard to the earlier match with Barrington this season. “We can’t stick to one shot. It’s very possible we can take Barrington down. We’re overall doing very well as a team.”
Barrington senior No. 2 doubles team Nejdawi/Mallon advanced to their final after defeating Hersey team Moody/Borst 6-4, 6-2. Buffalo Grove’s Rubinstein/Durfey will play the Fillies today after eking out a victory over Palatine 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
With a 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 win over Palatine senior Campbell/Silveira tandem, Fremd’s Jorgensen/Norenberg pairing gained a ticket to the No. 3 doubles final. The Jorgensen/Norenberg adversary is Buffalo Grove’s Foutris/Pietras, which gained a berth by topping Barrington seniors McCauley/Nordli.
Buffalo Grove No. 4 doubles Krewer/Pecoraro moved onto their final after beating Palatine 6-3, 6-0. Krewer/Pecoraro will face Barrington seniors Blaust/Dombeck, who topped Fremd 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinal.
“We’re happy where we’re at,” said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. “The girls came up big today. We have five teams in the finals. We need to make it happen (Friday).”
Championship matches begin at 3:30 p.m. today.