WW South’s Clousing on track
One thing Keisha Clousing of Wheaton Warrenville South noticed on Friday was that the competition is definitely getting tougher as she gets deeper into the state tournament.
Clousing won three matches on Friday to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals and she knows she has to focus hard and bring her “A” game because it will continue to get more challenging.
Last year, as a freshman, the Tigers’ singles player finished second at state, but she did that without being aware of her surroundings, which may have been to her advantage.
“Last year, I never looked at the draw,” Clousing said. “I didn’t even know what round I was in. This year I’m more comfortable and I’m more aware. And I know that I really have to focus, or else who knows what happens?”
Clousing, the No. 1 seed, won her first two matches in the tournament 6-0, 6-0, but received stiffer challenges Friday in her third and fourth matches.
In Round 3 she defeated Jen Gates of Bartlett 6-1, 6-2 and in the fourth round she topped Ali Foster of Plainfield Central 6-3, 6-2. Gates was a 17-32 seed, while Foster was placed in the 9-16 group.
Both girls gave Clousing a good run.
“Gates hits a strong ball,” said Patti Clousing, the Tigers coach and Keisha’s mom. “She keeps the opponent behind the baseline so they can’t attack as much. And she’s left-handed. So Keisha needed a couple of games to make the adjustment. Foster is another tough player. But Keisha is taking her game to another level. She’s playing really strong.”
“Jen and Ali both gave me a good run for my money,” said Clousing.
The only other DuPage County singles player to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals was Alex Solovyev of Hinsdale Central.
The Red Devils lead in the team standings with 30 points going into the third day of the tournament. New Trier is second with 28. Wheaton Warrenville South is sixth with 14 points and York is tied for seventh with 12.
Both of Hinsdale Central’s doubles teams, Marika Cusick and Caroline Lorenzini and Kristy Hamilton and Jackie Altansarnai, were the only two local duos to survive fourth round play.
Four DuPage doubles teams who had excellent tournaments by winning three matches, lsot their fourth-round matches.
Torrie Graham and Gabby Riek of York, Kim Simmons and Madeline Carney of Benet, Samantha Reedy and Molly Hennessy of Glenbard West and Kamile Stadalninkaite and Abbie Boswell of Naperville North, came up just short of making it to Saturday.
“After an impressive tournament, Sam and Molly just ran out of steam in their fourth match of the day,” said Glenbard West coach Jim Valleskey.
The Naperville North and York doubles were also forced to play four matches on Friday, because they didn’t get their first round matches in on Thursday due to the weather. The rain also forced officials to cancel the back-draw so the tournament became a single-elimination contest.
Ÿ Meredith Maltby of Glenbard West was named the winner of the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association “Tom Pitchford Sportsmanship Award.” The award is given to one player in recognition of her impeccable sportsmanship, academics, extra-curricular activities and contribution as a team player.
Maltby was nominated by her coach Jim Valleskey.
“It was an easy nomination,” Valleskey said. “Meredith is an unbelievable role model both on and off the court. She has great character, she’s always steady, always positive, she never argues a call and she’s always complimentary to her opponents. At practice she works hard with the kids at all levels of our program. This award means a lot because it says so much about Meredith as a person.”