Will power puts Neuqua over Naperville C.
The final game in the first set was a test of wills.
In a match that was close throughout, Neuqua Valley's Ali Peters and Naperville Central's Cory Schillerstrom battled through 18 deuces before Peters put away the winning point for that first-set victory.
The Neuqua Valley sophomore won 6-3, 6-4 to lead the Wildcats to a 6-1 triumph in a nonconference dual meet against visiting Naperville Central.
"We were both being very consistent," Peters said. "I had to play more for placement and just getting it over the net, rather than going deep, because I just wanted to get it over with. Cory was getting to everything I was hitting."
At first singles Peters always draws the best player on the other team, so she's getting used to the tough matches against strong opponents.
"When I go out and play against good players like Cory, I'm there to learn and to test myself," Peters said. "I love playing with that intensity, even when I lose to people like Kelly Barry (York) and Hanna Mars (Hinsdale Central). I try to go out there with a positive attitude. And if I lose I come off with a smile because I know I've played as hard as I could and learned from the experience."
Peters believes that playing against the better players helps her improve her game as she focuses on trying to qualify for state.
"Ali has had some tough matches," said Neuqua Valley coach Trudy Bennorth. "And that win was excellent for her. She's getting better and better. She's correcting her strokes and thinking through points."
Don Bonet, the coach of Naperville Central (6-10), was also pleased with the work of Schillerstrom.
"She was playing with a little more patience," Bonet said. "She kept the ball in play and just needed to put a little more pressure on her opponent. But overall, it was a great match for her."
The Wildcats (10-2) swept the singles field as Nisha Garg and Lauren Silva won their matches at the second and third spots, and they took three of the four doubles matches.
"I'm proud of how our team has looked to this point of the season," Bennorth said. "But we still have a lot to do to get ready for the meat of our conference schedule as well as the postseason."
For Naperville Central, Wednesday's clash with Neuqua Valley was a break in DuPage Valley Conference play that allowed Bonet to experiment with different combinations.
The one combination that stayed together is the one that has clicked for the past few weeks. Michelle Fern and Jeri McCombs came through with the Redhawks' only team point, topping Neuqua's Alex Jones and Jasmine Kavani 7-6, 7-6.
"Michelle and Jeri hustle through every point and never give up," Bonet said. "They're our most consistent doubles team right now. I'm feeling really good about them. They do whatever it takes to win."