Girls tennis: Stevenson takes title at Buffalo Grove invite
From first serve to match point in the No. 2 singles final at Saturday’s inaugural Buffalo Grove 32 girls tennis invite, Stevenson junior Kriti Mohan’s mindset never wavered.
“Our coach (Izzy Balase) likes to tell us, ‘Focus on what’s working for you,’” the left-handed Mohan said after her 6-1, 6-3 win over Vernon Hills sophomore Kamila Tymarskis. “All match long, I kept thinking, ‘Go for your shots.’
“That worked for me,” the Patriot added.
Did it ever, especially when Mohan, the top seed, crushed her inside-out forehand on the big points in sunny, steamy conditions against a talented 6-footer who exceeded the projection of her 5-8 seed. The win was Mohan’s fifth — without dropping a set — at the two-day, seven-site event and helped Stevenson capture the team championship.
“We’re at the halfway point of the season, or close to it, and a meet like this, with such a strong field, is one where you want to start peaking,” said Balase, who also received a title-winning effort from juniors Ana Sukovic/Emma Blass (No. 2 doubles), a runner-up showing from seniors Abby Ma/Sophia Shlyakhta (No. 1 doubles) and a fourth-place finish from Luna Bian (No. 1 singles).
“Today and yesterday were gritty days,” he added. “You want days like these because they’re great experiences for the girls.”
Perennial state power New Trier fielded three teams Saturday, with its top squad finishing runner-up (56 points) to Stevenson (64). New Trier 2 took third (46), ahead of Glenbrook North (45), Conant (43), Barrington (38), Highland Park (32), Naperville Central (31), Oak Park-River Forest (31) and 10th-place Vernon Hills (30).
Naperville Central senior and three-time state qualifier Sofia Olaru topped the No. 1 singles bracket via walkover when illness sidelined New Trier freshman Ingrid Fiedler. Seeded second, Olaru won a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal over Vernon Hills junior Paulina Masherava late Friday afternoon.
“It was our third match of the day; we were both fatigued,” said Olaru, who likes to unleash two-handed backhands down the line. “I tried to finish the points quickly.”
The Redhawk then solved Stevenson’s Bian 6-2, 6-1 in a semifinal Saturday morning to improve her singles record to 20-2. One of her losses was to reigning Class 2A singles champ Jessica Kovalcik of Plainfield North.
“I’m stronger mentally this year,” Olaru said. “I’m staying calm, keeping my head in the game.”
Conant’s top doubles team, meanwhile, keeps improving. Sophomores Advita Deepak/Nidhi Kacekar split four matches at the state meet last fall after claiming Mid-Suburban League tournament and sectional titles. At Saturday’s BG 32 invite, the pair of Cougars finished a sturdy fourth at No. 1 doubles — as a 9-12 seed.
“They made significant strides in the offseason,” Conant coach Matt Marks said. “Their volleys are better and they’re way more aggressive in matches. They’re no longer scared freshmen. Both are up for any challenge.
“Their attitude,” he continued, “is, ‘Let’s play the best doubles teams.’”
Conant’s No. 2 tandem, sophomores Khrystyna Pivtorak/Noelle Koh, also netted ample team points, downing Barrington junior Isra Khan/sophomore Stephanie Yoon 6-2, 6-1 in the match for fifth place.
Barrington freshman Enya Neagu, a 5-8 seed in the No. 2 singles bracket, defeated Downers Grove South freshman and 3-4 seed Lily David 6-2, 6-4 in the match for third place.
First-year Barrington coach and longtime teaching pro Mike Byrd, who also coaches boys tennis at Lake Zurich and exudes positivity when he’s anywhere near a tennis court, appreciated the two-day gathering, saying, “This is an absolutely great event.”
Byrd later praised Fillies senior Caitlin Kavanagh for finding her way out of a precarious second-set deficit (2-5, after winning the first set, 6-0) in a consolation No. 1 singles match against a Whitney Young Dolphin on Friday.
“Guess what Caitlin did?” Byrd said. “She won the next five games and then thanked me. But I told her, ‘That was about us, not me.’ I’m in coaching to give back and change lives for the better. Coaching tennis isn’t just about improving kids’ tennis games; it’s also about developing life skills through the sport.”
Vernon Hills’ Masherava downed DGS’s Gabby David 6-1, 6-3 for seventh place at No. 1 singles; New Trier 1’s Keri Rothenberg/Arianne Lesterhuis defeated Stevenson’s Ma/Shlyakhta 6-2, 7-5 in a highly competitive No. 1 doubles final that could have passed for, at least, a state quarterfinal; Conant freshman Elyssa Rojas Kantcheva placed seventh at No. 2 singles; Naperville North seniors Gabby Lee/Brooke Coffman took fifth at No. 1 doubles, one spot ahead of St. Charles North’s Shannon Lu/Danielle Dejanovich; and SCN’s Maddie Zubel/Reese Thomas and BG’s Mia Whippo/Sasha Bogomol finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at No. 2 doubles.
For decades in boys tennis, the Pitchford invite — also known as the Hersey 32 — has been the mini-state meet that staged major tests in singles and doubles in the spring.
Girls tennis needed something similar, Buffalo Grove coach and Buffalo Grove 32 Tournament Director Michael Naughton noted Saturday.
“Like the Pitchford, this mirrors the state tournament,” said Naughton, who lauded Barrington’s Ryan Palmer for his yeoman’s work as the BG 32 data manager. “Players play three matches in one day and then return the next day to play some more. This meet not only provides opportunities to compete against some of the state’s best; it also prepares the players well for the state series, especially the state meet.”