Girls tennis: Doubles dominance leads Benet to title at Rolling Meadows invite

Tennis players who have faced Benet Academy doubles ace Shane Delaney know what it feels like to dig in against a nasty pitcher with a far-reaching repertoire.

Delaney — a senior and half of the reigning Class 1A state doubles champions, with classmate Claire Lopatka — can throw a slice or a flat or a kick serve at a returner.

“I try to mix it up and keep them guessing, whether that’s the placement or the speed of my serve,” Delaney said at Saturday’s Rolling Meadows 8-team girls tennis invite.

Delaney’s deliveries changed returners’ eye level often in three matches Saturday, thereby allowing Lopatka to either punch easy volleys for winners or poach at will. A classic doubles finisher, Delaney is a racket-wielding shark anywhere near the net. The pair of Redwings flew to the No. 1 doubles title, downing promising Fremd freshmen Stella Lee/Siya Mistry 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Benet, second at state in 1A last year, swept the four doubles championships and skipped to the team title with 66 points. MSL East champion Prospect netted runner-up (44) honors ahead of Lake Zurich (41), Fremd (38) and Glenbard West (38). Rolling Meadows (26), Ottawa (5) and St. Viator (2) rounded out the field.

Lake Zurich senior Katrine Boianov didn’t need batting gloves to take care of business at No. 1 singles in chilly-turned-pleasant conditions. The Bears’ smooth, powerful baseliner didn’t drop a game in three matches, topping Rolling Meadows’ Maddie Hrtanek — another Mid-Suburban League freshman to watch — in her final match.

“In general, what has helped me the most is staying calm,” said Boianov, who split four singles matches at the Class 2A state tournament last fall and has lost only once (to Libertyville’s Yuki Dogadalski) in 2024. “Not every point matters. Tennis is 80 percent mental. When I play, I want people to think, ‘I can’t tell if she’s winning or losing.’ What has also helped me is not being afraid to be aggressive.

“I don’t hesitate on the court; I don’t overthink.”

Hrtanek had earned a spot in the No. 1 singles final with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 semifinal defeat of Benet senior Meredith Converse, who reached the 1A consolation singles semifinals at state last fall.

“I was consistent, moving (Converse) side to side and doing all I could to stay in the points for as long as possible,” Hrtanek said. “On the few chances I had to hit a short ball, I attacked.

“Against Katrine, when she gets to the ball, she’s able to do whatever she wants with it,” the Mustang added. “You watch her play, you see a lot of talent.”

Hrtanek’s father, Matt, is a first-year RM girls tennis volunteer assistant and served as the host school’s site director Saturday.

“My dad likes to remind me to play my style, to stay positive, and then he’ll tell me a quick joke to keep things light,” Hrtanek said of the father-daughter chats during changeovers.

Benet’s other doubles champions Saturday were Natalie Grover/Katie Jendra (No. 2); Meaghan McCarthy/Hannah Bobofchak (No. 3); and Erin Conway/Julia Keough (No. 4). They defeated Fremd’s Kayla White/Thaswika Reddy, Fremd’s Anvita Maddali/Anya Skula and Glenbard West’s Marisa Mehta/Claire Nielsen in straight sets in their respective finals.

Boianov’s sister, LZ freshman Lora Boianov, solved Benet’s Lily Lopatka 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles final, and Prospect sophomore Riley Phillips — a part-time No. 4 doubles player last fall — bested Glenbard West freshman Evelyn Carle 6-1, 6-0 for the No. 3 singles championship.

“Riley,” Knights coach Patrick Weber said, “is awesome and hyper-consistent. She made so much progress since last year, cementing her position at No. 3 singles. What she did today should have her riding high at next weekend’s MSL meet.”

Carle thought she’d be deployed in doubles as a rookie on varsity, but she’s been more than happy to go solo for the Hilltoppers. Carle owns a sound forehand and often seeks to rip two-fisted backhands either crosscourt or down the line.

“I’ve got to work on my consistency,” Carle admitted after her final match Saturday. “(Phillips) was pretty consistent and ran me around.”

Fremd coach Stephanie McClure can’t wait to watch Lee, a righty, and Mistry, a lefty, make a run for No. 1 doubles hardware at the MSL meet. They have significant wins over Conant and Fenwick tandems this fall.

“They’re exciting players, very coachable, and they’re great at communicating on the court,” said McClure, who also coaches girls water polo at Schaumburg. “They’re my fearless freshmen who always raise their level of play against tough competition.”

Prospect entrants collected four bronze prizes Saturday: Casey Brosnan (No. 2 singles); Kendall Kocanda/Colleen Shute (No. 2 doubles); Sofiya Zheplinska/Niki Gusic (No. 3 doubles) and Erin Coleman/Lexi Kuzak (No. 4 doubles).

Benet’s Converse edged Prospect senior Kara Pescaru 4-6, 6-4 (11-9 tiebreaker) for third place at No. 1 singles; Fremd’s Baruni Soni defeated Benet’s Deniz Dogansoysal in straights in the match for third place at No. 3 singles.

Other fourth-place finishers: RM’s Aleena Patel (No. 2 singles); LZ’s Summer Fabsik/Tessa Fabsik (No. 1 doubles); GBW’s Mia Fanter/Ella Gacek (No. 2 doubles); LZ’s Alexandra Fridyand/Alice Pisarevskaya (No. 3 doubles); and RM’s Haley Richter/Viktoria Sashova (No. 4 doubles).