Warren's Dutt struts her stuff

In fifth grade, Michelle Dutt struggled in her math class and received a B.

Since then, it's been straight A's. In every class.

Now a Warren senior, she is in all Advanced Placement and honors classes.

Ironically, her easiest classes to ace nowadays are Spanish and, you guessed it, math, which she said, “comes really natural to me.

After all, she's quite familiar with numbers these days, such as 15, 30 and 40.

As in, 15-Love, 30-Love or 40-Love.

Dutt, 17, a Gurnee resident, is in her fourth year as Warren's No. 1 singles player, with a four-year combined record of 92-53, including an 18-12 record this season.

“I love high school tennis, said Dutt, who seeks to secure a state berth this weekend. “It's been a blast. I like all of the meets and I particularly like my team this year.

Dutt was 29-12 as an all-conference junior and advanced to the state meet.

“Qualifying for state last year really stands out and this year we've had a lot of fun meets, Dutt said.

The fun includes Warren's championship in the Crystal Lake Central invite, which the Blue Devils had never done.

Dutt describes herself as an “all-court player who likes to rally from the baseline until she spots an opportunity to attack the net. But volleys are her strength.

“As a freshman and sophomore, I was much more of a counter puncher, she said. “I didn't have as much strength. I was pretty small, though I could get to a lot of balls. I would just use my consistency to frustrate my opponents. I still do that now, but I now have more weapons, (such as) my forehand and my volleys, so I can be more on offense.

“I've had some difficulties during the season with my backhand. I've had a few losses to girls who I have beaten in the past.

She did defeat Libertyville's Sarah Paulson at last week's North Suburban Conference meet to avenge an earlier loss this season.

Next stop for Dutt and racket: the Lakes sectional, which starts today. The field includes NSC-champ Lake Forest, which won every flight at conference, and Grayslake North senior Kelly Poggensee-Wei, who won first singles at the Fox Valley Conference meet.

“I'm really looking forward to the state tournament, especially if we have nice weather, Dutt said. “I think it would be amazing to make the top 16, but I'm not sure if that's realistic. At least top 32.

Dutt said she wants to continue playing next season as a college freshman, and her top two choices have Division III tennis programs: MIT and Carnegie-Mellon.

“Michelle is a very skilled and experienced tennis player who plays with poise and confidence, Warren coach Vince DeSecki said. “She is very tough to beat when running on all cylinders and is no doubt one of the top players in the area, as evident by her fourth-place finish in conference.

“Her impact on our program has been huge and it will no doubt be difficult to replace her next year.

Dutt is an editor for the school's yearbook and writes copy for it. She also is one of 10 student leaders for the school's Youth Summit, a volunteer program that meets every other week. The program is planning a youth leadership conference in December for middle-school students, to teach them about leadership and dealing with difficult situations.

And yes, the volunteer work does help her tennis. Specifically, her personality on the court.

“Doing community service helps me to be a good person, and I think it helps my sportsmanship on the court, she said.

Dutt is superstitious. For example, she doesn't like to ever bounce the ball on any lines.

“I'm not really sure why I (started that superstition), she said. “It's just a habit that I picked up.

Kind of like math.