Girls tennis: Stevenson’s Dogadalski continues remarkable recovery from injury with sectional title

Yuki Dogadalski had a little something old waiting for her Saturday.

A sweatshirt.

Vintage 2023 Libertyville tennis apparel, to be exact.

It came in handy on a chilly afternoon at the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex.

But after capturing the singles championship at the Class 2A Stevenson girls tennis sectional, the Wildcats senior needed more than warmth.

Food.

“I was hungry,” a smiling Dogadalski said after defeating Stevenson junior Kylie Blass 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 in a spirited final.

Quite an appetite for victory, too.

Dogadalski’s championship highlighted a sunny, brisk afternoon that saw Highland Park capture the nine-team sectional title with 30 points, followed by Stevenson (26) and Libertyville (22).

The top four singles players and doubles teams earned berths to the state meet Oct. 22-24, hosted by Buffalo Grove.

For Dogadalski, seeded first, Saturday’s title represented another remarkable chapter in a senior season she once feared she wouldn't have.

A back injury sustained over the summer kept the Bowling Green State University recruit sidelined until about two weeks ago.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to play my senior season,” said Dogadalski, who also won the North Suburban Conference singles championship last weekend.

She's undefeated this fall.

And headed to Bowling Green, where she'll become the third former Libertyville player in the women's tennis program, following Sam Kintzel and Sarah Griffith.

Dogadalski’s latest triumph required a third-set reset against fourth-seeded Blass, who had beaten Highland Park’s second-seeded Andie Lawrence 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in a semifinal.

“I made sure I had a positive mindset in the third set,” Dogadalski said. “I moved my feet more and kept the ball deep.”

Blass, meanwhile, displayed plenty of grit.

The Patriots junior broke serve at love to clinch her semifinal victory, then recovered from a lopsided opening set against Dogadalski to force a decider.

“She’s been working a ton on dictating points and going for her shots,” Stevenson coach Izzy Balase said. “She held her composure in the third set, all while playing confident, bold tennis.”

Highland Park freshman Maya Keller defeated teammate Lawrence 2-1, retired, in the third-place singles match.

The doubles final?

A thriller.

Highland Park seniors Gaby Gold and Aidan Stoltze, the top seeds, outlasted second-seeded Stevenson seniors Emma Iwanowski and Klaudia Jaworski 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.

The Patriots pair refused to go quietly, answering a first-set loss with a second-set victory before pushing the Giants duo to the limit in the third.

Highland Park’s Julia Batt and Kourtnie Halperin defeated Stevenson’s Natalie Aragones and Rachel Ma 6-2, 6-3 for third place.

All eight doubles players qualified for state, along with Dogadalski, Blass, Keller and Lawrence in singles.

Highland Park’s sectional championship followed its sweep of all seven flights at the Central Suburban League North tournament last weekend. Stevenson had won five of seven flights at the NSC meet.

For Dogadalski, state offers another opportunity to shine. She teamed with older sister Lena to finish third at state in 2024.

But Saturday, after collecting another championship medal and slipping into those old threads, she had earned something more immediate.

Dinner.

And she didn't have to work for another point to get it.