Barrington wins MSL tennis title
Aspirations were high for girls tennis student-athletes as Hoffman Estates hosted the final two rounds of the Mid-Suburban League tournament Saturday morning.
For the 16th consecutive season, the Barrington Fillies brought home the MSL championship plaque after posting 49 points.
In all seven brackets, the Fillies sent teams to each of their finals. They won five of those seven.
“We've had the tradition, especially when you have a powerhouse No. 1 like (Kristy) Dodge, Barrington coach Tracy Waters-Miller said. “It all starts with your lower levels from frosh/soph to JV. By the time these kids hit varsity they know what they're doing.
“I have to give credit to our coaching staff. It's fun to watch and I'm proud of what we've accomplished. It's a privilege to hang out with these girls.
Following suit behind the Fillies was second-place Buffalo Grove with 59 points, while Conant took third with 31. Prospect fit into the fourth slot with 29 points and Palatine had 25 for a fifth-place finish.
“I'm happy about our finish, said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. “We had a lot of girls move into new positions and they still took second and third at the next level. We have some fine-tuning on some little things we need to do.
“We need to stay positive. We have a tough sectional at Stevenson. We'll have some tough draws, but anything is possible.
As the teams reached the finals, a loud rumbling came from fans and teammates in the Hoffman stands. In the No. 1 singles finals, Barrington senior Kristy Dodge faced off against Schaumburg sophomore Monica Lin.
In the first set, Lin rushed to a quick start and led 4-1. Dodge, however, battled back in that set, winning four consecutive games. She was ultimately was victorious in the match, after an arduous dogfight 7-6(3), 6-4.
“(In the first set) I was trying to be more aggressive, Dodge said. “I wasn't focusing. My mind was somewhere else. This is the fourth time we've played each other, and (Lin) was definitely ready to go. It's pretty amazing what our school has done.
In the No. 1 doubles finals, Barrington sophomore Zoe Kasiurak and freshman Heather Ciskowski topped Prospect twin tandem of Dana and Lauren Goggin 6-2, 6-1. The Fillies duo remains undefeated at 17-0.
“We played really smart and hard, Kasiurak said. “This will help us be a higher seed in sectionals. We need to stay completely consistent to overplay (our opponents).
After most play had ceased, a three-hour and 20 minute match occurred between Barrington junior Haley Mallon and Prospect senior Mary Clare Rosemeyer. Fatigue overwhelmed both competitors
Following a leg cramp, Rosemeyer won an extremely close match. After dropping the first set 2-6, Rosemeyer edged out Mallon 6-4, 6-4 for the victory. Rosemeyer is 8-0 in the MSL.
“I wanted to win so bad, Rosemeyer said. This is my senior year so there was no way I was losing this. I cramped up like this last year, but I had to play. I have no idea how I came back. This game is more mental than anything.
In the No. 3 singles final, Conant junior Alex Bahardi defeated Barrington's Michelle Bean 6-3, 6-2 to register a first place win. Bahardi is 8-0 in the MSL.
“(Bean) was really tough, Bahardi said. “She played really well. You have to have a strong mentality to win this. I played her earlier this year and won. I can be successful if I take what I did from (Saturday) to sectionals.
Other winners included Barrington's No. 2 junior doubles team Alia Nejdawi/Kate Allison, No. 3 senior doubles squad Sydney Slager/Katie McNulty and No. 4 senior duet Alex Blasch and Natasha Mehta.
The Slager/McNulty team and the Blasch/Mehta tandem have all played as partners for all four years.