Neuqua Valley blows past Wheaton North

There were some adjustments that had to be made, but the Neuqua Valley boys tennis team braved the terrible weather to earn a victory.

The Wildcats, playing only their second dual match of the year on Wednesday thanks to several rain and snow cancellations, remained undefeated after shutting out visiting Wheaton North 9-0

"It was the worst possible tennis weather," said Neuqua Valley coach Trudy Bennorth. "It was cold, windy and damp, but the courts were dry so we were able to get the match in."

According to Bennorth, it's usually windy at the Wildcats courts, so the wind doesn't bother her players that much.

"I've never been a big fan of playing in the wind," said second-singles player and two-time state qualifier Amit Iyer. "But once I got out there I warmed up and I was ready."

Iyer had to put a little more power into the ball to make sure it made it over the net, a change from his usual finesse game of lobs, slices and drop shots.

But he felt that adding some power to his game will benefit him in the long run.

"I was successful hitting the ball a little harder," Iyer said. "If I can combine that with my usual game it will help throw the opponent off even more. The more variety I can put into my game the better."

The Wildcats' lineup, according to Bennorth, is still a work in progress due to all the postponements. But she was pleased with what she saw Monday as the team begins its Upstate Eight Conference schedule at Bartlett on Tuesday.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Bennorth said. "We're not anywhere near midseason form."

First-doubles Jackson Keating and Hayden Sass, who won 6-2, 6-2, are set, but the other positions are still being contested.

Bennorth was particularly impressed with the work of her freshman fourth-doubles combo of Ajay Dugar and Nolan George, who won their match 6-1, 6-2.

"They played their game," she said. "They were closing in on the net, hitting out on the ball, hitting nice volleys and they weren't afraid to hit overhead. They will be moving up in the doubles lineup."

Wheaton North coach Eric Laird took some positives out of the match that helps prepare the Falcons (6-7) for DuPage Valley Conference play, which starts Thursday against rival Wheaton Warrenville South.

"It's a tough loss," Laird said. "But playing against a team like Neuqua Valley, which is a great program, is part of the growth process. We'll learn from it and get better."

The coach said the team's play was much better than the final score indicated.

"I know we lost in straight sets," Laird said, "but many of the games were very close, a lot of deuce games. So within the games we played a lot better than the score showed."

Laird said his players were not really hurt by the weather conditions.

"We have a significant wind issue at our court too," Laird said. "It's springtime in Chicago. It's what you get sometimes."