Full speed ahead for Barrington

Barrington won the Lake Park girls tennis sectional tournament on Saturday and is set up to make a run at a state trophy in next week's state tournament.

The Fillies will send the maximum two singles players and two doubles teams to the tournament, which begins Thursday.

"As a team, to plan it out in August and say that this is part of our goal, then to meet it is just great," Barrington coach Tracy Waters said of the sectional win.

Barrington junior Kristy Dodge won the singles title, defeating Schaumburg freshman Monica Lin 6-2, 6-2 in the final. It was Dodge's third sectional title.

"It's an honor to be a sectional champ because there aren't many of those," Dodge said. "I know that not many people have that opportunity. I don't take it for granted."

Dodge is looking forward to an interesting aspect of the state tournament.

"I like how it is the only tournament of the year where you can actually have a crowd that can yell and scream for you. That's always fun," she said. "It's a different atmosphere, which I love. Tennis is normally a quiet sport."

Lin's second-place finish on Saturday qualified her for the state meet.

Barrington seniors Alli Linden, Meg Crowley, Dana Pierce and Annie Washburn, plus freshman Zoë Kasiurak will be joining Dodge at the state meet.

Linden and Crowley were champs in the doubles draw, where Pierce and Washburn took third. Kasiurak finished third in singles.

Linden, Crowley and Pierce will all be making their fourth straight trip to the state meet while Washburn and Kasiurak will be there for the first time.

"I'm just really excited to see the competition," Washburn said of going to state. "Conference and sectionals are fun. Last year I wish I had made it to state, but I'm excited to play with my partner (Pierce)."

Pierce said it still exciting to qualify for the state meet even though she's done it three previous times. She said qualifying four consecutive seasons is kind of unbelievable for her.

"I think we played really well today," Pierce said of her and Washburn's sectional performance. "I think we play really well together."

Waters was particularly proud of Washburn, saying that Saturday was probably the best she had played.

This is the first year Pierce and Washburn have played together, even though both are seniors.

"I'm happy to have her as a partner," Washburn said. "We balance each other very well. I'm like a roller-coaster, and she kind of settles me down."

The duo's lone loss of the day came in a three-set battle against Rolling Meadows' MaryClare Loughery and Kim Martini in the semifinals. Loughery and Martini finished in second place.

"They were really good at the net," Pierce said of Loughery and Martini. "It was hard to get anything by them."

Martini said net play is a lot of what her and Loughery work on.

"We try to get to the net as quick as possible to put pressure on the other team," she said.

Loughery is in the state meet for the third straight year as part of a doubles team. It is the second consecutive year qualifying with Martini.

"Our goal is to do better than last year," Loughery said of the state meet. "It's a good feeling (to be going back)."

Palatine sectional: Buffalo Grove's Ashton and Heather Nisbet were doubles champions, defeating Deerfield's Ellie Crist and Lexie Levitz 6-2, 6-4.

Also qualifying for the state meet for the Bison were Nell Boyd, who took second in singles, and the doubles team of Dana and Lauren Goggin, who finished fourth in doubles.

Buffalo Grove took second as a team in the sectional.