Girls tennis: Scouting Lake County
ANTIOCH
COACH: Randy Digman
RETURNING PLAYERS: Krystin Donovan (jr.), Lilly Herout (so.), Katie Brost (so.), Ruth Keiling (so.), Alyssa Sheppard (so.), Sara Mucha (so.)
NEWCOMERS: Melissa Donovan (fr.), Sara Petty (fr.)
OUTLOOK: The Sequoits were young a year ago, and that hasn't changed. Krystin Donovan is back to play first doubles and is joined by her freshman sister, Melissa. The team's experience is at doubles. Digman's roster is comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores. "We're young but we'll still be competitive in the (NSC) Prairie Division," said Digman, whose Sequoits are off to a 2-1 start. "Next year and (the following) year we should be pretty tough."
CARMEL
COACH: Nancy Fehn
RETURNING PLAYERS: Jasmine Minor (sr.), Leah Varner (sr.), Sophia Kannenberg (sr.), Allison Patnoe (sr.)
NEWCOMERS: Michelle Kannenberg (fr.), Kathleen Felicelli (fr.), Emily Rhine (so.), Maclain Edwards (so.), Taylor Covers (jr.), Erin Shannon (jr.), Penny Hyde (sr.)
OUTLOOK: Minor being back is major. The senior finished third in the state as a sophomore before opting to play the junior circuit last fall. She makes the Corsairs that much stronger. "Besides Jasmine, our team is really, really strong," Fehn said. Sophia Kannenberg and Patnoe anchor No. 1 doubles. A pair of freshmen, Michelle Kannenberg (Sophia's sister) and Felicelli, play second doubles. "They don't get upset," Fehn said of her young No. 2 team. "They just go out and have fun."
GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL
COACH: Charles Lawson
PLAYERS: Emily Cullom, Millie Chan, Sam Bohner, Alexa Cabaltera, Alex Scarbro, Sandy Vien, Shruthi Kumar, Mika Iwasaki, Kayleigh Ash, Katie Smith
GRAYSLAKE NORTH
COACH: Jill Tomasello
RETURNING PLAYERS: Kelly Poggensee-Wei (jr., No. 1 singles), Elizabeth Steinhoff (jr., No. 2 doubles), Bridget O'Gorman (so., No. 3 doubles), Andi Romac (jr., No. 4 doubles), Kelsey Borders (so., No. 4 doubles), Allison Macke (sr., No. 4 doubles)
NEWCOMERS: Nathalia Moran (fr., No. 2 singles), Krysten Gross (No. 2 doubles), Taylor Wright (so., No. 3 doubles), Sydney Leanna (No. 3 doubles)
OUTLOOK: Other than the senior Macke, this is a young squad. There are 7 sophomores and the freshman Moran on varsity. "We are building a whole new team this year," Tomasello said. "Doubles are going to be really important this year so we have been working hard to build strong combinations. We have had many girls who have worked hard in the off-season so our outlook on the season is very optimistic. Poggensee-Wei is one of the better players in the area. "Kelly Poggensee-Wei is expected to do great things again this year," Tomasello said. "She has worked extremely hard in the off-season and throughout the summer to strengthen her game."
LAKES
COACH: Bryan Plinske
RETURNING PLAYERS: Taylor Pooley (sr., No. 1 singles), Rachel Loos (jr., No. 2 singles), Shannon Ure (sr., No. 1 doubles), Katie Chrapla (sr., No. 1 doubles)
NEWCOMERS: Marissa Halterman (jr., No. 2 doubles), Emily Buehler (jr., No. 2 doubles), Stephanie Lass (fr., No. 3 singles)
OUTLOOK: "The season outlook positive," Plinske said. "We will be competitive against the schools on our schedule. We have a team who works very hard each day during practice. We have a team who is mentally strong and shows intelligence in their approach to the game. We have good senior leadership and we are having fun."
LAKE ZURICH
COACH: Aaron Rogers
RETURNING PLAYERS: Monika Gasiorek (sr.), Kristy Peterson (sr.), Josie Willman (sr.)
NEWCOMERS: Sam Wilson (fr.), Mel Wilson (jr.), Layla Ranjbar (sr.), Stephanie Locastro (sr.)
OUTLOOK: The Bears' win Wednesday over Wheeling improved their record 5-0 under first-year coach Rogers. "We're off to a strong nonconference start, especially since we lost eight of 11 starters from last season," Rogers said. "We're still trying to find the best doubles combinations and an overall strong lineup in order to be competitive. We know we're going to see some strong teams in the conference season and tournaments during the year, so the girls are continuing to work hard in practice and keep pushing each other to be better. We have good senior leadership that will determine the overall success of our team."
LIBERTYVILLE
COACH: Dan Kiernan
RETURNING PLAYERS: Megan Ahlgrim (sr.), MK Lee (jr.), Emily Paul (sr.), Nicole Klein (jr.), Sarah Paulson (jr.)
NEWCOMERS: Arantxa Garcia-Escobar (so.), Claire Eichmann (so.)
OUTLOOK: Paulson returns at No. 1 singles, while No. 1 doubles-partners Ahlgrim and Lee played at state last year. "The team has worked hard and we hope to finish top three in NSC," Kiernan said.
MUNDELEIN
COACH: Jim Drier
RETURNING PLAYERS: Ari Dechter (so.), Paige Parola (sr.), Ali MacDonald (jr.), Lucy Cai (so.)
NEWCOMERS: Sara Jump (fr.)
OUTLOOK: The Mustangs boast plenty of state experience. The senior Parola has played doubles at state since her freshman year. Dechter, who moves up to No. 1 singles, went to state as a freshman last year, and the junior MacDonald qualified for state in singles as a freshman and in doubles last year. "We have a really strong team at the top of our lineup," Drier said. "We are going to surprise some people at sectionals and state."
ROUND LAKE
COACH: Sophie Guichard
STEVENSON
COACH: Tom Stanhope
RETURNING PLAYERS: Lindsey Hahn (sr.), Gabby Demchenko (so.), Trish Chari (jr.)
NEWCOMERS: Alexxis Kiven (fr.), Danielle Vasiliev (fr.), Ai Kashii (so.), Lizzy Ettleson (so.), Cheryl Liu (jr.)
OUTLOOK: The Patriots graduated eight of their starting 11, but first-year coach Stanhope says the team has reloaded. "While we are rebuilding this year, we expect to compete for conference and sectional championships," Stanhope said. "So, really, we're rebuilding toward the goal of a top-5 state finish in future years. Our goal this year is to qualify six players for the state tournament and finish top 10 (at state). The girls are working very hard toward this. It's a good team ... but still very raw. We have the potential to be an elite team."
VERNON HILLS
COACH: Doug Gerber
RETURNING PLAYERS: Lindsey Gallagher (sr.), Maya McLain (sr.), Amy Sebastian (jr.), Amy Dolan (so.), Melanie Solheim (so.)
NEWCOMERS: Rebecca Jacobi (sr.), Tanya Bhardwaj (jr.), Priyanka Mangtani (jr.), Monica Lozovoty (so.), Stephanie Nikitenko (so.), Rachel Jacoby (fr.), Elizabeth Borgman (fr.), Melissa Roshoss (fr.), Mary Tsakadze (fr.)
OUTLOOK: This could be the youngest team in program history with the exception of its first season, in 2000, when it didn't have any seniors. Gerber notes, however, that youth, in this case, does not mean inexperience. Sebastian takes over No. 1 singles after posting 20-plus wins last year at second singles. Solheim and Dolan play No. 1 doubles after a fine season at No. 2 doubles last year. The Cougars ran the table in the North Suburban Prairie last year, going 6-0 and 9-5-1 overall. "With a talented young crop of players, finding the right positions for the players will be a work-in-progress for the first few matches of the season," Gerber said. "Prospects for another season of close matches appears to be in our future."
WARREN
COACH: Vince DeSecki
RETURNING PLAYERS: Michelle Dutt (sr.), Lauren Chibucos (jr.), Avani Patel (jr.), Brittany Sunday (jr.), Nicole Nelson (jr.)
NEWCOMERS: Kim Mella (sr.), Maxine Mella (fr.), Nicole Sutchsland (jr.), Taylor Boyke (jr.), Jenna Westerberg (jr.)
OUTLOOK: The Blue Devils are again led by Dutt, a state qualifier last year who will anchor first singles for the fourth year in a row. "She always competes and continually improves," DeSecki said. "She has a great all-court game and is very steady. She is very experienced and works for every point, which in turn makes her opponent work that much harder." The Blue Devils are coming off a third-place finish in the NSC Lake Division and have what DeSecki calls a "very young but experienced" team this year. "The girls have great chemistry, strong leadership and a desire to compete with the best teams in Lake County," DeSecki said.
WAUCONDA
COACH: Melissa Hoffmann
RETURNING PLAYERS: Roslyn Summerville (sr.), Mary Brennan (sr.), Heidi Keblusek (sr.), Cathy Miller (sr.), Casey Brew (sr.), Annie Shepherd (jr.), Joanna Matula (jr.), Emily Brennan (so.)
NEWCOMERS: Shannon Moorhead (jr.), Danielle Schneider (jr.), Taylor Carlberg (jr.), Kendall Welton (jr.), Maggie LePage (so.), Nicole Egorov (so.)
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs are loaded with experience, as they boast eight returning varsity players. "The team goals are to improve on our individual skills as well as a team," Hoffmann said. "I am looking forward to this season and hope that we will be successful."