Girls tennis: Scouting the state tournament, Northwest
When: Thursday through Saturday
Where: Various sites around the Northwest suburbs
BarringtonState qualifiers: Junior No. 1 singles Niyanthi Puliyala, senior No. 1 doubles Mounika Gadiraju/Kathleen Tomasian and No. 2 seniors Caroline Tomasian/Julia Pisani.
Outlook: Puliyala (17-5) and the No. 1 twosome of Gadiraju/K. Tomasian (12-6) both recorded sectional titles at the Class 2A Jacobs sectional. C. Tomasian/Pisani finished their sectional as runner-up to their teammates. All three of the Fillies' flights took a second-place finish at the Mid-Suburban League tourney and Barrington shared a team MSL co-championship with Fremd. Puliyala and K. Tomasian are on their second trip to the Buffalo Grove-hosted state tournament. As a team in the 2017 state tournament, they won three matches. The team's notable victory of the 2018 campaign was the 4-3 dual match over Fremd during the regular season.
Coach's comment: "(Thursday) is a pretty good day," said Barrington coach Tracy Waters-Miller. "(I want the Fillies) to play happy and present. Play the best tennis you possibly can."
ConantState qualifiers: Freshman No. 1 singles Natalia Sadon, and No. 1 doubles senior Grace Park/sophomore Simren Mahajan.
Outlook: These are Conant's first state qualifiers since 2016. Park/Mahajan (11-8) were runners-up in the Lake Park sectional, while Sadon (18-10) gained a berth with a fourth-place finish. Mahajan played most of her season at doubles, while Park played her entire season at doubles. Sadon recorded a third-place showing at the MSL tournament at No. 3 singles. Sadon is the Cougars' first singles player qualifier in seven years. Earlier this season, Sadon bested Fremd's Jane Bodensteiner, who was the No. 3 singles MSL champ, in a dual match earlier this year. This is the first state berth for all three Conant players.
Coach's comment: "We are excited to have three girls participating in the state tournament this year," said Conant coach Dave Koleno. "It will be a great experience for them. Natalia is a competitor and has really improved since the beginning of the year. Grace and Simren are still growing as a team. They played well (at our sectional and) need to carry that momentum into the state series. When they're on their game, (Park/Mahajan) can beat a lot of teams.
Elk GroveState qualifiers: Senior No. 1 singles Jovana Vujanic and No. 1 doubles team Lauren Oda/Peyton Oda.
Outlook: This is Vujanic's (12-4) and Lauren Oda's third and final trips to the annual tournament. Vujanic and Lauren Oda qualified as a doubles tandem in their freshman year and won two matches. Vunajic took third in the Glenbrook South sectional, while the Oda sisters did the same. The Odas (23-6) finished in third behind Fremd and Barrington in the MSL tournament, while Vujanic was injured and did not compete. Vujanic's most notable win of the season was over Barrington's Puliyala in a dual match.
Coach's comment: "I tell the girls that I am so proud of them and to fully enjoy the experience of playing at state," said Elk Grove coach Kristen Fisher. "We would all agree it's our favorite part of the season."
FremdState qualifiers: No. 1 doubles sophomore Kyra Emmanouilidis and freshman Akari Matsuno; No. 2 doubles senior Diya Matta/junior Kellie Ha.
Outlook: Emmanouilidis/Matsuno completed a perfect season at the Highland Park sectional. The No. 1 duo's undefeated 2018 campaign enabled them to achieve the top seed in the state tournament. Emmanouilidis/Matsuno also registered a No. 1 doubles MSL title earlier this month. Matta/Ha also recorded a No. 2 MSL championship as well and completed their successful season in fourth place at Highland Park. The Vikings' No. 2 tandem is ranked at 9-16 in the state tournament. Emmanouilidis, Matta and Ha all have punched a ticket to the state tourney prior to this year. Ha reached state last year with graduated sister Elsie, and won a game in the back draw. Emmanouilidis earned her first berth last season at No. 2 singles and won one match. This will be Matta's third and final appearance at the state tournament. In the previous two seasons, Matta accumulated four wins (two in 2016 and two in 2017). Matta began her career at Elk Grove and transferred after her freshman year to Fremd. In 2017, Matta earned an MSL title and a Hersey sectional championship.
HerseyState qualifier: Freshman No. 1 singles Natalie Osiecki
Outlook: Osiecki is the Huskies' first state qualifier since 2013. Osiecki (20-2) posted a third-place finish at the Highland Park sectional, and notched her first MSL crown at No. 1 singles. She tallied victories against two 2017 state qualifiers - Libertyville's Lilly VanDixhorn and Maine South's Jennifer Ptak - early in the season. These two wins were an indicator for Hersey coach Sharon Meintzer of Osiecki's future success. Osiecki is ranked in singles at 9-16.
Coach's comment: "Natalie and I discussed her goals for the tournament," Meintzer said. "One, play her game and stay focused to facilitate her best performance. Two, control her emotions and keep them composed. Three, play each point, game (and) match one at a time. Do your best, play your game and have fun. That is why we are all here, right? We love this game."
Maine WestState qualifier: Senior No. 1 singles Maja Kozerski
Outlook: The Warriors' senior notched her first sectional championship at Glenbrook South. Kozerski (22-4) achieved a state tournament berth in 2017, where she won a match in the back draw. Her four losses on the season were all to state qualifiers, including Highland Park's Caitlin Goldberg (twice). Goldberg is ranked 9-16 in the state tournament. Kozerski is preparing by practicing ground strokes and on attacks when given the opportunity.
Coach's comment: "We're looking forward to a great meet," said Maine West coach Michael Murin. "My advice will be for (Kozerski) to stay focused and under control and to play her game. She has proven that she belongs there and has earned the chance to compete again."
SchaumburgState qualifiers: Freshman No. 1 singles Emma Tatar and No. 1 doubles senior Nur Sucu/junior Rhea Arora
Outlook: All of the Saxons are making their first appearance to the state tourney. Tatar finished her season at third place in the MSL, but she won the Lake Park sectional championship. Sucu/Nuru took fifth in the MSL and fourth at the sectional. The three Saxons are the first state qualifiers for the school since Monica Lin registered a fifth-place showing in 2010.
Coach's comment: "(Tatar, Sucu and Arora) have been competing and practicing at high levels of performance for many years, so it's exciting to have their hard work and dedication create an opportunity to showcase their talents," said Schaumburg coach Ari Kazan. "Emma has been able to mature on the court in an impressive manner in big thanks to upperclassmen co-captains (Sucu and Arora). We're looking to make it into those Saturday matchups and play our game to the best of our abilities."
St. ViatorState qualifiers: Senior No. 1 doubles team Emma Zajac/junior Tess McLaughlin
Outlook: Zajac/McLaughlin (14-16) finished fourth in the Class 1A Vernon Hills sectional. It is their goal to finish in the top 16. This is Zajac's second season achieving a state berth as she qualified in 2017 with then partner Robin Teraji. The Lions' duo is working on placement strategy and reading opponents as they prepare for Thursday.
Coach's comment: "I always tell my team to not focus on the win, but to strive to play the best they can," said St. Viator coach Amy Ritchie. "If they do that, the wins will come. Anyone can win or lose on any given day."