Batavia tennis stays perfect

The top two players for Batavia did not drop a game against Rosary on Thursday afternoon.

Then again, that is the type of the start of the season it has been for the Bulldogs' girls tennis team.

"Thirty-eight out of 43 matches," Batavia coach Brad Nelson said of the Bulldogs' cumulative singles and doubles match record to begin the year in improving to 6-0.

Hannah Potter and Miranda Grizaffi both had whitewashes for Batavia in its nonconference 5-2 victory over visiting Rosary in Batavia.

Potter, the Bulldogs' top ace at singles, barely broke a sweat on the sultry afternoon, using aggressive serving, a top-spin-heavy forehand and drop shots when needed to roll over Rosary junior Kelsey Arnold.

"I didn't know who was on their team," Potter said after heavy graduation losses impacted the Royals' lineup. "I felt like it was a good match. I got to work on a lot of stuff."

Grizaffi was equally dominant at No. 2 singles, improving to 6-0 on the season in claiming a likewise perfect score.

"I think my serves have been pretty good so far this year - and my forehand," said the sophomore who eased to the second-singles title at West Aurora on Saturday.

The coaches altered the traditional feel of the dual match as Rosary was missing one of its top doubles players due to illness.

Thus the coaches played four singles and three doubles matches.

At third singles, freshman Liza Fruendt snared the Bulldogs' third consecutive win with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 triumph over the Royals' Allison Stephans.

Batavia junior Krystin Smith then made it a clean sweep in singles play for the hosts by dropping only two games at fourth singles.

The Royals (1-3) did have their moment to shine at first doubles.

The Rosary top tandem of Katie King and Angelina Goheen were immersed in an extended struggle against the Bulldogs' Kaitlin Mills and Jenny Mizikar that had all the imprints of a classic.

King and Goheen snared the first set in relatively simple fashion, only to see Mills and Mizikar fight back valiantly.

The Batavia pair won the second-set tiebreaker to force a deciding set; King and Goheen then found themselves in a 1-4 hole in the decisive set.

But the duo fought back, breaking serve to force another tiebreaker that King ended with a blistering ace.

"We came together and got it done in the end," said King of Geneva. "We didn't make as many unforced errors (down the stretch). That was the big difference."

Tamar Norville and Magurite Mallory were victorious at second doubles for Batavia; Rosary sisters Andrea and Micah Goyao claimed the Royals' other win at third doubles.