Tri-Cities area athletes swinging at state

Seventeen area girls tennis players will realize the season-long goal of competing at the state tournament, beginning on Thursday. But only one will be making her fourth trip.

It's already been a season of milestones for St. Charles East senior Stefanie Youngberg, who has been a major force for the Saints since she first stepped onto the court as a freshman.

"Stefanie has been just wonderful to have on the team, a terrific person, and a great leader," St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer said. "I can't imagine what it's going to be like without her next year."

Earlier this month, Youngberg won her 100th match for the Saints. And though she's not the first to reach that milestone, according to Drawer she is the first to do so while playing her entire career at No. 1 singles or No. 1 doubles.

"I needed 22 at the start of the season to get to 100, but really didn't think about it much until it was down to 10," Youngberg said. "It's hard for me right now to cope with the idea that it's my last season, and I only have one week left."

This trip to state will see a significant change for Youngberg. It's the first time she'll be there as part of a doubles pair, as she teams up with fellow senior Erin Bowman. The two have been seeded 17-32.

"In the beginning of the season it was a really hard shift, I would play like I was still playing singles," Youngberg said. "When it's just you out there you have to trust your own instincts. But with a partner, I needed to learn to rely on her."

It will be Bowman's second state tournament after qualifying a year ago with Amanda Gomez as her doubles partner.

"Stefanie is very supportive," Bowman said. "The main thing will be to stay positive and not get down."

The Saints' duo finished second in the St. Charles East sectional, dropping the title match in three sets to St. Charles North's Annemijn Koenen and Liselot Koenen. It will the third trip to state in as many years for Annemijn, a senior, but her first as half of a doubles team.

"It's nice to qualify in doubles, and being with my sister makes it even more exciting, I'm really looking forward to it," Annemijn Koenen said. "It's going to be a completely different atmosphere and a different kind of experience."

Liselot, who is a sophomore, experienced a high level of success last year with then partner Megan Gow. Though she has a different partner now, there's not much else that's new about it.

"My sister and I grew up playing together, so we know each other's game so well, and that makes it a lot of fun," Liselot Koenen said.

The Koenens' long list of past successes earned them a 5-8 seed.

The North Stars, who finished a slim second in the sectional team competition, will once again be well-represented at state. Their second doubles team, consisting of Jenna Bell and Alecia Natale, both juniors, will be there, joined by fellow junior Sarah Amalraj.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity to play for my school," Amalraj said. "I've gone to the state tournament once before to watch, and I'm just hoping to do well and earn something for my team."

Unlike the Koenen sisters, the other three North Stars will be making their first trip to state.

"I've really appreciated this team's leadership and attitude," St. Charles North coach Tim Matacio said.

After winning the St. Charles East sectional by a margin so narrow it had to be determined by a fifth tiebreaker, Geneva will be sending four players to state, led by junior Kayla Fujimoto.

"I always try and prepare correctly for state, and my No. 1 goal is to win it," Fujimoto said.

Fujimoto is a 5-8 seed after finishing sixth in the state a year ago.

"It's really great knowing how everyone plays going into it," Fujimoto said.

Seniors Mary Pelling and Krista Panko have also been there before, and their outstanding season earned the Viking duo a 17-32 seed.

"They've played really well this year, and they have the experience to do a good job at state," Geneva coach Maureen Weiler said.

While experience may make the difference for Geneva's other qualifiers, freshman Carly Ausman will bring a great deal of raw ability to her first state tournament appearance.

"I'll be looking for her to gain experience and go out there and hopefully make it through the first day," Weiler said. "I hope that the success she's already had will put the desire in Carly to want to improve her game and come back as an even stronger player next year."

Rosary's Emily Reuland won the Oswego sectional's singles title, and led her school to its first team sectional championship. The junior posted a 29-1 record which included wins over Fujimoto and West Aurora's Brooke Henry, but all that earned her was a surprising and very disappointing 17-32 seed.

"We were shocked when we saw that, I just don't understand it," Rosary coach John Tsang said. "Emily just needs to go out there and perform."

Reuland, who has performed very well in her two previous trips to state, will be joined by Elizabeth Vertin, who qualified two years ago when she was still attending Yorkville.

On the doubles side, Rosary's top team of Angelina Goheen and Katie King, both sophomores, also qualified. This will be Goheen's second time at state.

"The fact that Angelina has now made it to state two years in a row with two different partners is a testament to the sort of player that she is," Tsang said. "They have a lot of room to grow, and it's been exciting to see how much they've improved during the season."

West Aurora did not have the sort of traditional success this season that has long been a trademark of the program. But junior Brooke Henry remained a constant throughout.

Her strong regular season performance and second place finish at the Oswego sectional earned Henry a third trip to state, and a 17-32 seed.

"Brooke Henry has been a strength for us all season," West Aurora coach Brian Brooks said. "It's what we've come to expect from her."

Competing in the tough Neuqua Valley sectional, the Batavia Bulldogs found themselves in a struggle to earn a spot at the state tournament.

Their doubles team of senior Alexa Schofield and junior Kim Sawyer who won two matches at state last season, made it through, and they will be the Bulldogs' lone representative. They should have a good chance to at least match their previous performance.