Girls tennis: Conant, Stevenson dominate sectionals
Serving as a coach at a girls tennis sectional can be a trick bag when all four of that coach’s entrants — two singles players, two doubles teams — battle for a championship at the same time after qualifying for the state tournament.
It can be a treat, too.
Just ask Conant’s Matt Marks.
Each of his netters had to strike indoor shots against either a teammate or teammates in a final at Saturday’s Class 2A Lake Park sectional at Wheaton Sport Center.
Junior Khrystyna Pivtorak wound up defeating sophomore Elyssa Rojas Kantcheva 6-1, 6-1 to avenge a loss at a summer tourney, and Cougars juniors Nidhi Karekar/Advita Deepak downed juniors Noelle Koh/Thea Krachmarov 6-0, 6-3 in the doubles final for their third sectional title.
“It was a different energy, something you can’t replicate in practice,” said Marks of the intensity generated by the sectional’s setting. “As coaches, we didn’t say to any of the girls, ‘OK, here’s how you exploit a weakness on the other side of the net.’ We were more like, ‘OK, be aggressive earlier in points,’ and, ‘Stay positive.’
“Khrystyna,” he added, “played some of her best tennis. She was all offense from the first serve, ripping shots all over the court. But Elyssa didn’t back down. That made for some fireworks on the top court. They’re close friends, and they returned to being close friends right after the match.”
Conant skipped to the sectional title, besting runner-up Glenbard West 36-22.
Schaumburg senior Jhena Emnace (4th place, singles) also qualified for state.
Hersey serves as tournament headquarters for the Class 2A and 1A state meets Thursday through Saturday.
Stevenson coach Izzy Balase also got to watch all six of his athletes vie for a sectional title. But he did so Friday; action at the Stevenson sectional at Vernon Hills Athletic Complex finished up a day early because of Saturday’s rainy forecast.
Patriots sophomore Kylie Blass and senior Kriti Moran went 1-2 in singles, while Stevenson’s Emma Blass/Ana Sukovic defeated Klaudia Jaworski/Emma Iwanowski in the doubles final.
“The team showed another level of not only toughness but belief in themselves and one another throughout both days of competition,” Balase said after his reigning state runner-up program topped Highland Park 36-24 for the sectional championship. “They’re starting to tap into that ‘Why not us?’ mentality and really looking to make a big run at the state tournament.
“We’re really proud of how hard the girls have worked for this opportunity and excited for what’s to come in the next week.”
Libertyville junior Yuki Dogadaski advanced to state with a fourth-place showing in singles.
Barrington’s Fillies, meanwhile, captured the Buffalo Grove sectional title behind senior Shriya Ramesh’s singles championship. She prevailed over sophomore teammate Enya Neagu in the final. Barrington’s Isra Khan/Stephanie Yoon and Ella Qian/Audrey Kim finished 2-3 in doubles.
“I am very proud of the girls’ effort and commitment to their goals for this season,” said Fillies coach Mike Byrd. “They fought hard throughout the tournament; they’re battle-tested. I continue to be pleased with their efforts on and off the court. We look forward to the challenge of the state tournament.”
Lake Zurich sophomore Lora Boianov (3rd place, singles) and BG junior Maahi Jahal (4th place) landed state berths, as did sectional runner-up Fremd’s doubles teams — sophomores Stella Lee/Siya Mistry (1st place) and Anya Shukla/Gunjan Mishra (4th).
Other sectional results:
At Glenbrook South: Rolling Meadows sophomore Maddie Hrtanek lost 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to Loyola Academy sophomore Caroline Hewitt in the singles match for third place but earned her second state berth.
At Maine South: The host Hawks’ Lauren Geier/Emma Militaru and Ella Raseta/Kristina Nikolova went 3-4 in doubles.
Class 1A: Senior Paulina Masherava and junior Kamila Tymarskis of host Vernon Hills won a sectional doubles title on Saturday, defeating Deerfield’s Maya Krasny/Jordan Cohen 6-1, 6-3 to pace the Cougars’ runner-up (27 points) showing to Deerfield’s Warriors (32) in the team standings.
VH singles players Emma Jazbutis (3rd place), a senior, and Isabella Ugolkov (4th place), a junior, also advanced to state.
At Antioch, Carmel Catholic seniors Katalyn Young/Gretta Leedy — the top-seeded doubles team — defeated Grayslake Central seniors Kaitlynne Faust/Maureen Drevline in the match for third place.
Wauconda senior Reagan Mohr took fourth in singles to extend her season.
Carmel (17) finished runner-up to Lake Forest (33).