Benet, WW South rule sectional
In the high-powered world of Illinois girls tennis sectionals, you don't go easy on your friends.
That's why the participants in both the doubles and the singles finals at Saturday's Naperville North sectional finals battled so hard against their high school teammates even though all had already made the state cut by finishing in the top four.
In the doubles final Benet seniors Kim Simmons and Madeline Carney defeated Benet juniors Mary Beth King and Daniella Reyes 6-3, 6-3.
And in the singles championship match Wheaton Warrenville South sophomore Keisha Clousing, who finished second at state last year, defeated Wheaton Warrenville South junior Emma Li 6-2, 6-2.
“We play hard against Mary Beth and Daniella because they're the best competition we play against all year,” Carney said.
“This was no blow-off match,” said Benet coach Bob Comerford. “Daniella and Mary Beth really wanted to beat them. The competition edges up both doubles team's games.”
Both Clousing and Li were undefeated going into their finals contest and they've both improved from having practiced against each other all season.
“They're both playing strong,” said Wheaton Warrenville South coach Patti Clousing. “When you have two great players like that they can push each other and both improve to the next level.”
“As long as I played well, it didn't matter if I won or lost,” said Li, who had been ill all week. “I would have been more upset if I won and played badly, instead of losing to a great player like Keisha.”
In the third-place match Kelsey Chin of Metea Valley, who went into the tournament as the fifth seed, defeated Benet's Cassie Kovach 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (7-9), 6-3. The two join Clousing and Li as qualifiers for the state tournament, which begins Thursday.
To make it to state Chin had edged Benet's Leah Tzakis, a 3-4 seed, 6-2, 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Everyone knew going in that there were five great singles players and one would not advance to the state meet from what many observers call the strongest sectional in the state.
“I've played Leah many times,” Chin said. “And I knew that I was going to have a tough fight in order to make it to state.”
In the third-place doubles match Naperville North's Kamile Stadalninkaite and Abbie Boswell also took three sets to top Naperville Central's Lindy Liu and Cass Goldner 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 6-4. Both of those doubles teams also qualified for state.
Benet won the sectional championship with 28 points over Wheaton Warrenville South, which finished with 24. Third was Naperville Central at 16, and Naperville North finished fourth with 13 points.
“The sectional championship is nice because it's tough competition and it's a reflection of how good your team is,” Comerford said. “But this tournament is really just a stepping stone for getting the girls to state. I feel sorry of Leah because we had five of the 32 best singles players in the state here, and it's a shame that one of them won't get to go.”