Boys tennis: York, Hinsdale Central off to strong starts
Three matches into the season, the York boys tennis team is aiming to build off a solid start.
The Dukes (2-1) recorded victories over Buffalo Grove and Geneva but suffered a 5-1 defeat to Benet.
York coach Courtney Bison said senior Sam Witt, a returning state qualifier in doubles, is among the players performing at a high level early this spring. Witt is playing No. 1 singles this season.
Bison said Witt's adapting well to playing elite competition in singles.
"Sam had huge wins against Buffalo Grove Apoorv Sagar Pitta and Benet's Zach Bobofchak," Bison said. "Sam has played doubles for the past three years and has become an outstanding player. He's our team captain, which was voted by his peers, because of his hard work and leadership. He has set high goals for himself this season and he will stop at nothing to get there."
Bison added that the doubles team of sophomore Anthony Arnieri and freshman Nate Yu have been playing well, along with senior TJ Paul and freshman Brennen Maxeiner.
"Anthony and Nate are a young but fearless team, and always ready to play competitively together," Bison said. "TJ and Brennen are going to be a tough team. TJ has been playing doubles for the past three years and brings an irreplaceable experience and leadership to the doubles team. We have big hopes for both (teams)."
Hinsdale Central filled with depth:
Hinsdale Central coach John Naisbitt is definitely pleased with his team through the first couple of weeks. The Red Devils, who have won nine state championships in the last 13 seasons and 26 first-place trophies overall, are motivated to top last season's second-place finish at state. New Trier won the state title last spring, edging out the Red Devils by seven points.
Naisbitt said the 2022 team is filled with depth and experience.
"We have a senior-laden team that's as deep as a squad as we've had in the last 25 years," Naisbitt said. "We clearly have committed to working hard to attain our goal of a state championship ... We expect to compete for the state championship on the last weekend of May. We're determined to be in the mix."
The Red Devils have opened the season in the right fashion, defeating New Trier 9-7 last weekend.
"We feel it set the tone for the regular season," Naisbitt said of the win over the Trevians. "We're as good as anyone, maybe even better."
The Red Devils return four state players from last season - Noah Hernandez, Mujtaba Ali-Khan, Dean Kamenev and Jai Vallurupalli - to go with six freshmen on the 24-player varsity roster.
Neuqua Valley ready for season to start:
Neuqua Valley is among a handful of teams set to play its first match this week. The Wildcats are scheduled to play Naperville North on Thursday and compete in a tournament at Glenbrook North on Saturday.
"As with every season the highest priority is to provide a competitive environment for our players and their opponents to grow their game," Neuqua Valley coach William Rose said. "We have more underclassmen at the varsity level this season than in past years, so it's extremely important to us that they not only find success this season, but also do so in a way that strengthens their game for the future of our program. The expectation that we've set as a team is to make a strong run at the conference title, knowing that we are capable of repeating but having to play tennis at an extremely high level."