Giris tennis: Northwest suburbs players have high hopes at state
Nearly 400 hopefuls from all around the Land of Lincoln will gather for the most important weekend of girls tennis at locations throughout the Northwest suburbs to compete in the IHSA Class 1A and 2A state tournaments Thursday through Saturday.
Fremd and Barrington qualified their full teams to the state tournament. The Vikings sent sister duo Kellie Ha/Gracie Ha (27-3), singles player Sonal Matta (21-6), doubles team Valentina Betancourt/April Wu (20-8) and singles player Jane Bodentsteiner (12-6).
The Fillies' ticket punchers include Niyanthi Puliyala/Amani Alvi in doubles, No. 1 singles competitor Madeline Hills (25-2), doubles team Sam Kim/Sofia Hutchison and singles player Nayana Ramesh (16-5).
Other area state qualifiers include Conant twosomes Riya Jain/Nirali Patel and Chetana Cheruvu/Simren Mahajan, Elk Grove singles player Peyton Oda, St. Viator singles player Maia Nowicki and doubles team Tess McLaughlin/Sarah Schultz (1A) and Maine South duo Regina Lee/Molly Grace.
Hills tallied a sectional championship in her first year of high school tennis. One of Hills' losses was to defending 2A state champion Kiley Rabjohns of Lake Forest, who is seeded at the one spot for the second straight year.
Hills is seeded in the 9-16 rank in the tournament. She competes against Champaign Centennial senior Angela Xu on her home court Thursday.
Puliyala enters her third and final tourney with partner Alvi. Puliyala has competed as a solo performer and a doubles player, while the rest of the Barrington roster is entering its first state tourney.
Barrington coach Heather Graham is in her first year running the program. Graham hopes to have her players advance into Friday play. According to Graham, the Fillies' season was highlighted by her two doubles flights playing each other for the sectional championship.
"(They) all have worked so hard this season individually and as a team," Graham said. "(The Fillies) each have earned a place at state and have made it as a team. Taking first in conference and sectionals are quite some accomplishing moments this season. I am so proud of (Barrington), and I cannot wait to see (the Fillies) take the court by storm."
Fremd registered a win in its sectional at Schaumburg last weekend. The Vikings advanced two doubles teams in 2018 where both flights made deep runs. However, Kellie Ha is the only remaining Viking from that seventh-place team finish. She made two runs in her prior two years as she enters her third and final state series berth with sister Gracie.
Kellie and Gracie Ha are ranked in the tournament in the 9-16 crowd. The Ha sisters contend on their home court Thursday against Sandburg seniors Mia Strolia/Konstance Delis. Sonal Matta, Bodensteiner and Betancourt/Wu all are entering their first tourney.
"Going into the tournament, we have a few strategic goals to work on," said Fremd coach Scott Newmark. "The most important aspect of practice has to be the mental approach to the tournament. Before every match, I always tell them that anyone can beat anyone on any given day and that every match presents an opportunity, not a challenge."
St. Viator, in Class 1A, enjoyed a sectional championship from newcomer Nowicki (18-9) in singles play. The freshman standout is joined by second-time state qualifier McLaughlin and her partner Shultz (17-12), who finished second in the Vernon Hills sectional.
Nowicki takes on Belleville sophomore Natalie Cohn on Thursday, while McLaughlin/Schultz play against Rockford Boylan's Natalie Muldowney/MiaBella Provenzano.
"It would be great to see both teams finish in the top tier," said St. Viator coach Amy Ritchie. "(This week we've been working on) net play strategy. The pressure is off as you are (in the state tournament). Enjoy the ride and see how far you can take it."
Elk Grove celebrates its lone state qualifier in Oda. The Grenadier sophomore was a runner-up at the Glenbrook South sectional.
Oda (24-3) returns to the Buffalo Grove tourney after competing in doubles with her graduated sister Lauren in 2018. Oda faces off against Metea Valley junior Meera Baid, who's seeded in the 5-8 position.
"We are working on setting expectations and playing the best matches possible both mentally and physically," said Elk Grove coach Lindsey Rapinchuk. "Each game matters but each does not define the set or match. Leave the court feeling proud of the match you've played. If you're proud, it's a win regardless."
Conant landed a second-place finish in the Schaumburg sectional last week. The Cougars advanced duos Mahajan/ Cheruvu (19-7) and Jain/ Patel (20-6) with third and fourth places finishes respectively.
Mahajan enjoys her second entrance into the state tournament, while the other three Cougars are first-timers. Mahajan/Cheruvu compete against Lee/Grace of Maine South, while Jain/Patel takes on Bourbonnais' Harley Ondo/Mia Schwada.
"We have been working all year on being more aggressive at the net and anticipating our opponent's shots better," said Conant coach Dave Koleno. "(Conant needs to) be aggressive and not let opponents dictate the points. Go for everything you can at the net and finish with authority. Have some fun along the way."