Girls tennis in the Tri-Cities area

The 2009 girls tennis season will likely be defined by two things: An extraordinary senior class that should make No. 1 singles matches a thrill to watch, and the ongoing search for players to step up and into the lower slots in the lineup.

This year boasts a group of seniors that anyone who follows tennis in our area has been watching for four years. It includes Kayla Fujimoto (Geneva), Emily Reuland (Rosary), Brooke Henry (West Aurora), Katie Sawyer (Batavia) and St. Charles North's Liselot Koenen who will be stepping into the top singles spot that her sister Annemijn dominated for the past three years.

"Liselot is a different kind of player than her sister, but we're going to need her to step into a leadership role," St. Charles North coach Eve Tubman said. "She's improved remarkably since last year."

But it's the doubles side that could bare some unexpected intrigue as nearly every coach struggles to find the right combination.

"That's where we're going to spend a lot our time," Geneva coach Maureen Weiler said. "We're going to play around with some different combinations trying to find the best ones."

But Geneva won't have to spend any time worrying about the top singles slot, where Fujimoto, a three-time state qualifier, returns determined to make her senior year a memorable one.

"Kayla is such a hard worker, and she just keeps getting better," Weiler said.

Jamie Potts (No. 2) and Liz Horenzi (No. 3), both seniors, will round out the rest of Geneva's singles lineup.

The Vikings should have few worries with their top doubles team as Alexa Rogers pairs with Carly Ausman, who made it to state last year as a freshman. Juniors Val Salesky and Claire Chlasta should give Geneva a solid second team.

Juniors Abby Baumen and Annie Pourtez will likely form the third doubles team, with Stephanie Michaels and Kirby Arloff, also both juniors, rounding out the lineup.

"We have some nice players, but there's still a lot of work that we have to do," Weiler said.

Much of that work for Geneva is as a result of having some new faces, or a few familiar ones in new roles. But over at St. Charles North there's a familiar face in a new and very big role as Tubman, the former JV coach for both the girls and boys teams, takes over as the girls head varsity coach after Tim Matacio stepped down.

"Tim left big shoes to fill," Tubman said. "But the girls have been very accepting and I feel that he groomed me for the job."

Koenen also will be stepping into a role that she's been groomed for. The two-time state qualifier will now anchor the North Stars' singles lineup.

"Liselot has a really strong game, and she's going to do well this year," Tubman said.

Newcomer Brittany Plaszewski will be playing second singles, and Tubman likes what she's seen so far from the freshman.

"She's a player who has devoted a lot of time to improving her game," Tubman said.

Senior Kris Wolverton will be at third singles for St. Charles North.

But as certain as the singles side may appear, the doubles half of the lineup is another matter.

Alecia Natale and Jenna Bell are a go, likely at No. 1, but the rest of the lineup remains in flux. Tubman does, however, have several talented and experienced players to work with, including seniors Carly Dutkiewicz and Lauren Drawbridge.

"I'm concerned about my doubles," Tubman said. "You're always looking for that doubles player who has the net skills."

Batavia also faces a bit of early season uncertainty over its doubles lineup. But in the Bulldogs' case, some of that is a result of having several versatile players who could contribute at both doubles and singles.

One thing that's certain is Kim Sawyer at No. 1 singles. Sawyer enters the season with 84 career wins, just 25 shy of the school record.

Her pursuit of that record as well as a return trip to the state meet could make this a special season for Sawyer.

"Kim is such a good player, a leader on our team, and one of our captains," Batavia coach Brad Nelson said.

Hannah Potter, who turned in an impressive debut last year as a freshman, will be at second singles, while senior captain Mallory Ramp could step into a swing role, playing both singles and doubles.

When Ramp plays doubles freshman Miranda Grizaffi will play third singles.

"This is one of the most athletic and well conditioned teams that we've had," Nelson said. "We have girls who can do a lot of different things really well. A lot of it will come down to how well the doubles lineup works out."

With 10 seniors on the roster, Nelson should have plenty of good options.

Kaitlyn Mills, a sophomore, and senior Michelle Sapyta will pair up to form one duo. Ramp could team with senior Kim Jernstadt, possibly at No. 2. Tamar Norville, who played singles last year at the JV level, will likely partner with Brooke Svitak, while seniors Katie Spence and Kelly Ferguson are poised to hold down the fourth doubles spot.

"We've got good chemistry, which to me is really important," Nelson said. "We're going to be a team that a lot of people might overlook."

One team that everyone will see coming - again - is Rosary. Over the past six seasons John Tsang has built one of the area's most consistently solid programs, and the 2009 edition should prove no different.

Of course it helps to start with Emily Reuland, who won five matches at the state tournament last year.

"She's physically a lot stronger," Tsang said.

Elizabeth Vertin, another returning state qualifier who could play No. 1 singles on many teams, will be in the second spot.

Angela Goheen and Katie King, both juniors with state tournament experience, are back at No. 1 doubles, while seniors Kerry Zepeda and Leigh Anne Thomas look to step up from third doubles, where they played a year ago, to No. 2.

"We're going to have to make some adjustments and change some things when we play the tougher schools, but we should be pretty solid," Tsang said.

The rest of the doubles lineup remains largely to be determined, but junior Danielle Gray and senior Kayla Schreiber are making a run at the starting lineup.

"We're still trying to find the right chemistry, especially at the lower levels," Tsang said.

A year ago West Aurora's lineup was a mix of new faces, players with little or no varsity experience, and one exceptional returning singles player-Brooke Henry.

Henry is back at No. 1, and so are most of her teammates, a year older and battle-tested.

"We have nine of the 10 kids back, and hopefully we'll be better able to win some of the close matches," West Aurora coach Brian Brooks said.

Haley Henry, Brooke's younger sister, will play second singles or wind up as part of the top doubles team. Despite the high number of returners, much remains in flux for the Blackhawks.

Kristen Holmes and Yujin Lee, who teamed up last season, should end up at first or second doubles. Nickola Piakovo and Lizzy Griffen, both seniors, will form another duo.

The rest of the lineup will likely consist of returning senior Briana Paterson, juniors Nicole Maenza and Ariana Reiser, and new additions Abby Zach and Kaitlyn Burgess, both juniors.

"Our goal always is to win conference," Brooks said. "But before we can do that we'll have to find the right combinations and improve on last year."

Improving on last season's performance is also the goal at St. Charles East, but it could prove a challenge tying to overcome the loss of Stefanie Youngberg to graduation.

The good news for the Saints is that they've got several quality players poised to step up.

Erin Bowman, who teamed with Youngberg last year to form a state qualifying team, will either play first singles, or more likely team with Lexi Baltes at the top doubles spot. Baltes is slated to be one of the Saints' No. 1 doubles players, regardless of who she partners with.

If Bowman ends up over at doubles, Catey Esler is set to return to No. 1 singles.

"Catey has got a great attitude, and she's mentally tough," St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer said.

Claire Hafner, a junior, could play second or third singles.

Senior Erin Reilly will be at second doubles, possibly with Elle Sterner, a transfer from St. Francis who is returning to tennis after being away from the game for a few years.

Junior Sam Baginski could play a valuable role as a swing player who can contribute to both the singles and doubles lineups.

"We lost a lot of senior leadership, and that tends to mean a year of improvement," Drawer said.

But as most teams work to sort out their doubles lineups, much of the attention will be focused on a singles field that is among the strongest in recent memory.

"It's quite a year for No. 1 singles in our area," Weiler said.

Tsang added, "This is that freshman class that was so good four years ago, and has gotten better over time."

They should both know, they've each got one of the best in the state at the top of their lineup.