Jacobs' Smith raises level of game in pursuit of state

Jacobs senior Annie Smith has raised her aggression level this season.

And in terms of tennis, that's not such a bad thing.

"I've been more aggressive this year," said Smith. "I go for more shots. I try and move in more and come to the net."

That change in philosophy helped Smith finish second at No. 1 singles in the Fox Valley Conference last weekend.

Smith will try and keep her season-long momentum going at this weekend's Larkin sectional. Smith is shooting for her third straight state finals trip. Today's action takes place at South Elgin High School. Play shifts to Larkin on Saturday.

At the sectional level, the top 4 singles and doubles finishers will advance to next week's state finals held at District 214 sites throughout the Northwest suburbs.

Smith brings a 24-4 mark into today's action. She is shooting for her third straight sectional individual championship.

"Annie has added a lot of points to her game," said Jacobs coach Jon Betts. "She's become more well-rounded out there. She's an all-court player. She's become more mature with her shot selection and her game plan as far as what shots to use against certain types of player. She has raised her game significantly from last year and 2 years ago."

But Smith was no slouch prior to this year.

"Annie has always been a real steady player," said Betts. "She's frustrating to play against. Now she's a lot more versatile. She's using all of her weapons and she has confidence in her strokes. She's no longer a defensive player. She's an offensive player and that puts opponents on their heels. She has taken control of points rather than just grinding them out."

Off-season work, which included a camp at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, also helped advance Smith's game.

"Over the summer I worked on my shots a lot," said Smith. "The camp was helpful. We were on the court for 9 hours a day. Learning new techniques and playing tennis helps your game. I was always on the court in the summer."

A strong forehand is one of Smith's key weapons.

"My forehand allows me to get my opponent off-balance," said Smith, who has anchored the No. 1 singles position for the Golden Eagles for the past 3 years. "I can keep her guessing and attack with it and get to the net and put away more winners."

Smith is looking to put her big-meet experience to work over the next week.

"Having experience helps a lot," said Smith, who has a 3.6 GPA at Jacobs and would like to play tennis at the college level. "I've been able to see a lot of different girls. You know how they play and who they've played. Experience gives you more confidence. You know what to expect."

Smith, who finished third in the FVC her sophomore and junior years, is aware she could end up facing teammate Jen Ruther again this weekend. Smith defeated Ruther last year for the Elgin sectional title.

"That's tough. I don't like to do that," laughed Smith. "We know each other's game so well. It's a little awkward because if it happens again it will mean something. But if we can both get to state, that would be a huge accomplishment."

Betts is looking forward to seeing how far Smith can go in the postseason.

"Last year she lost at state in the third set of the match that would have put her into the top 32 and playing on Saturday," said Betts. "With all the improvements she has made, we're expecting big things from her."

Besides Ruther, Jacobs' sectional lineup features the 2 doubles teams of Heather Graham and Kellie Stoka and Marlene Aleksiejczyk and Kelley Lippner. Aleksiejczyk, who won a sectional doubles championship last year as a junior, was Jacobs' No. 3 singles player this year. Lippner was one half of Jacobs No. 2 doubles team this year.

Jacobs is looking for its fifth straight girls tennis sectional title.

Dundee-Crown's postseason roster is headlined by the No. 1 doubles team of Kim Miller and Maria Ballester. They will bring a 29-9 mark into this weekend's action.

Miller, a 4-year doubles veteran for D-C, played her first two years with her sister, Kelly, and then played with Siri Nelson last year, earning a state doubles bid. Both Nelson and Ballester made the transition from singles to doubles.

"Maria has made the transition from singles to doubles really well," said Miller. "She's a lot of fun to play with. Maria's serve and my net game work real well together. She can put in some real good serves and that gives me an opportunity to get some good balls."

Ballester said the transition to doubles was tough at first.

"It was hard because I was so used to singles," said Ballester. "But I got the hang of it right away. I like doubles. I always thought it was fun."

Both players know exactly what they must focus on in order to grab one of those state berths.

"We have to keep our unforced errors down," said Ballester. "If we can do that, we can play well and be confident and just have fun out there."

Lindsay Drotos and Stephanie Domagalski (19-10) will be D-C's other doubles entry. Stephanie Zundl (21-16) and Alejandra Ballester (25-17) are entered in the singles division for the Chargers. Zundl is a returning state qualifier.

The rest of the Larkin field features the host Royals, Elgin, Elgin Academy, St. Edward, South Elgin, Streamwood, Huntley and Marengo.

Elgin will go with Rebekah Hegel and Jennifer Meyer in singles play, while the teams of Rachel Hegel-Dana Altieri and Claire and Margaret Hernon will play doubles for the Maroons. Rebekah Hegel and Altieri were state qualifiers as a doubles team last year. Rebekah and Rachel Hegel were doubles state qualifiers as sophomores.

Elgin Academy features veteran Bethany Boyle who is in search of her fourth trip to the state tournament. Boyle finished third in the sectional her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

South Elgin juniors Lauren Ferry and Dana Hildebrandt made school history last year when they became the first athletic program state qualifiers by making the state doubles tournament. This year they are taking the singles route. Ferry has 10 wins as South Elgin's No. 1 singles player, while Hildebrandt is 15-3 at No. 2 singles and finished third in the Upstate Eight Conference at that classification.

The Storm's doubles entries will be Brittany Boelter and Nessa Saengyothinh and the new team of Meagan Diede and Kristen Gianaris. Diede's normal partner Lauren Mehr was injured in practice earlier in the week. Gianaris, normally a singles player, has stepped in to fill that void.

Host Larkin will feature singles players Sam Nanthavong and Paula Rusenovich and the doubles teams of Allison Kelly-Natta Senesombath and Susan Marquez-Aleah Turk.

The other sectional heavy with area teams will be hosted by Cary-Grove. That field includes the host Trojans, Belvidere, Belvidere North, Crystal Lake Central, Prairie Ridge, Crystal Lake South, McHenry, Woodstock and Marian Central. Action will take place at both Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake South.

Prairie Ridge, which recently won its fourth straight FVC title, is the overwhelming favorite to win the sectional title. The Wolves have won sectional titles in 2 out of the last 3 years.

The Wolves, under the direction of coach Jessica Fetzner, feature 3 undefeated sectional entries in No. 2 singles player Carolyn Huerth (27-0) and the doubles teams of Jackie and Julie Schwartz (27-0) and Emily Murphy and Laura Curran (27-0). No. 1 singles player Allison Murphy, the FVC champion, is 21-6 this season.

Emily Murphy is looking for her fourth state finals trip, while the Schwartz sisters are looking for their third trips. Curran is shooting for her second state bid. Allison Murphy and Huerth are freshmen.

Veteran Cary-Grove coach Bud Lachel said his doubles entries will feature the teams of Susanne Johnson and Courtney Koepke and Amanda Listak and Megan Resseguie. The foursome of Hayley Prihoda, Erin Aiello, Meghan Wleklinski and Rachel Kuchta were fighting it out this week for the two singles positions.

Crystal Lake South features senior Jennifer Maruyama who will be in search of her fourth straight state finals appearance. She qualified in the doubles division in each of her first 3 years.

Bartlett is the lone area entry at the 10-team St. Charles East sectional.