Barrington getting it right
She is part of the top-seeded doubles team in the girls tennis state tournament. You would think they could spell her name right in the program.
"Right? I mean, come on. That's just unacceptable," Barrington's Alli Linden joked of her name being spelled "Lindend" in the booklet being sold at the event.
With the way she and teammate Meg Crowley have been playing in the doubles draw, though, hopefully it will be the last time Linden's name gets misspelled.
The duo faced Loyola's Caroline Bauer and Molly Montgomery in Friday's fourth round - a repeat of a fourth-round match from last year.
After trailing 3-1 in the first set, Crowley and Linden fought back for a 6-3, 6-4 win to advance to today's championship quarterfinals.
"We just get more intense when it gets like that," Linden said of trailing early. "I was, like, shaking. I think sometimes we need the boost to want it more."
Barrington coach Tracy Waters said that at some point in the middle of the first set, Linden found her game and started to really move Bauer and Montgomery around the court with her shots.
"She really kicked it up a notch," Waters said. "And then with Meg moving in on it, they (Loyola) weren't able to take control of the match."
While Linden was moving Loyola all over the court, Crowley was at the net smashing winners.
"I kind of like the pressure, I guess," Crowley said of her play. "I was not going to lose. For some reason me and Alli always do that. It's like we're down and then we pick it up."
Both players have said during the year that their goal is to advance farther in this tournament than they did last year, which would mean winning their next match against Faith Bassiouny and Taya Zourbareva of Lake Forest in today's quarterfinals.
Getting ranked first hasn't changed their goal, just added a bulls-eye from the rest of the field.
"That's incredible pressure," Crowley said of the seeding. "I've been the most nervous I've been in my entire life. It's a big deal, but it's like an honor and a curse kind of deal."
It's a good thing for them that they play well under pressure.
After defeating Barrington's Dana Pierce and Annie Washburn 7-5, 6-4 in a hard-fought match, Buffalo Grove's Ashton and Heather Nisbet beat the higher-seeded Hadley Burke and Alexis Reisch of Lyons to advance to the quarterfinals where they will play top-four seed Allison Murphy and Carolyn Huerth of Prairie Ridge.
Though not listed on the IHSA Web site, Waters confirmed by phone that Barrington's Kristy Dodge advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Rosary's Emily Reuland.
Dodge's win gives the Fillies 22 points and places them in a tie for third with Lake Forest. Hinsdale Central leads with 30. Deerfield in is second with 24.
Schaumburg's Monica Lin and Rolling Meadows' MaryClare Loughery and Kim Martini were eliminated on Friday. Loughery and Martini lost the third round while Lin lost in the fourth.
If the weather cooperates, all matches will be played at Prospect today starting at 8 a.m. If it is still unplayable outdoors, singles matches will be at Center Court Athletic Club in Hanover Park starting at 8 a.m., and doubles matches will be at River Trails Tennis Center in Arlington Heights starting at 8 a.m.