Barrington’s in the clear again

With more action yet to be played Tuesday, Barrington was still able to secure its 19th consecutive Mid-Suburban League girls tennis championship.

A three-hour rain delay halted Saturday’s afternoon play at Rolling Meadows, and although matches are still in progress, Barrington already has enough points accumulated to earn the team victory.

The Fillies (16-6) sent all seven positions to the finals, and they netted four champions — so far. Barrington stands at 41 points and could still gain more with two entrants’ final positions undecided.

The runner-up team placement is still in question. Fremd has 23 points and two positions remaining, one of them a championship. But Prospect (24 points), Hersey (14, but with four positions undecided) and Buffalo Grove (23 points, one position in finals) remain in the mix for second place.

Fillies coach Tracy Waters-Miller was proud of how her team extended its impressive streak, leaving nothing to chance by sending its full complement into championship matches.

“I knew if we could send seven into the finals that we’d have a good chance to win conference,” Waters-Miller said. “They just really exceeded my expectations. This is a team that’s a lot of fun. They’re peaking at the right time. Our entire group has a lot of confidence in each other and a desire for each player to do well.”

“It’s bittersweet and sad when conference ends, because it’s always hard to say goodbye to some of the kids whose season ends today. I’m happy for our accomplishments, though. The lower coaches get credit too, because they do a good job with the younger kids.”

At No. 1 singles, Barrington sophomore Michelle Linden repeated as an MSL champ. She defeated Elk Grove freshman Jelena Vujanic 6-0, 6-0. Linden was the top seed; she defeated Rolling Meadows senior Erin Barry 6-2, 6-0 and Hersey junior Sara Magnuson 6-3, 6-1 to get to Vujanic.

“It gives me a little bit of confidence for sectionals,” Linden said. “I saw how (Vujanic) beat Courtney (Lang), so I knew she was a tough competitor. I knew I had to stay focused and play well.

The third-place No. 1 singles match between Magnuson and Hoffman Estate senior Courtney Lang was not completed; they were entering a third set.

“Every year it’s our goal to win conference, and we strive for that. Hopefully both our ones and twos could do well at sectionals.”

At No. 2 singles, Barrington junior Caroline Levy topped Prospect senior Christina Santiago 6-2, 6-3 for the championship, and unseeded Hersey senior Claudia Perkowski took third.

At No. 3 singles, Barrington’s Kara Rubaskin topped Buffalo Grove sophomore Anna Sandler for the title 6-3, 6-2. Fremd freshman Abby Stelnicki finished third.

Rolling Meadows seniors Allie and Jackie Kemph took home their first doubles title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Barrington’s senior duet of Addie Hirsch/Anna Donoghue. After their bye round, the Kemph twins defeated Buffalo Grove seniors Rachel Gross/Julia Zduncyzk 6-0, 6-1 and posted a semifinal win over Fremd senior Allison Tomal and junior Maggie Hanna, who went on to take third.

The Kemph sisters now look to stretch their success into next weekend at Lake Park, where they are the defending sectional champs.

“We’re more confident going into sectionals,” said Allie Kemph. “We played (Hirsch/Donoghue) and (Hanna/Tomal) during the season. We won both of those matches earlier in the season.”

“There are definitely a lot more nerves playing in conference,” Jackie Kemph said. “We did some of the same things we did before when we won against them earlier. It’s always hard to play people three times, but if we have a similar game plan to what we had today, we’ll be fine.”

Barrington’s No. 3 doubles team posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory in its title match against Buffalo Grove. Hersey’s No. 3 doubles team took third place, as did Conant’s No. 4 doubles team.

The No. 2 doubles and No. 4 doubles title matches, as well as the rest of the backdraw, will continue their matches Tuesday at Rolling Meadows.

“I was really happy with just how we were seeded at the tournament,” said Fremd coach Lauren Hall. “It shows how well we’ve performed in all the dual meets. I’m excited for Tuesday. Hopefully my second doubles team (juniors Caroline Freeman and Alice Zhang) will take the championship.”

“We’re really excited to be in the top (tier). I’m really happy we’re of one of the top teams to beat and hopefully we can continue the trend for a while.”