Scouting DuPage County girls tennis
Top teams: Hinsdale Central, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Downers Grove South, Neuqua Valley, Glenbard West, York, Glenbard South, St. Francis.
Top players: Benet: Coco Tzakis, jr., Katie Telford, jr.; Downers Grove South: Tiffany Bui, sr.; Janine Urgello, jr.; Christine Pavlov, sr.; Glenbard East: Priscilla Palermo, so.; Kolie Allen, fr.; Glenbard South: Jenna Brambora, sr.; Rachel Rettger, sr.; Shelby Fritz, so; Glenbard West: Ali Bush, sr.; Caroline Maltby, jr.; Hinsdale Central: Isabella Lorenzini, so.; Erika Oku, so.; Danielle Burich, so.; Rugile Valiunaite, sr.; Sophia Haleas, jr.; Hinsdale South: Vistella Bozhilova, jr.; Natalie Axelrod, fr.; Sarah Puz, jr.; IC Catholic: Kelley Hodyl, so.; Lake Park: Gina Odisho, fr.; Metea Valley: Michelle He, soph; Naperville Central: Tiffany Chen, jr.; Naperville North: Jessica Hu, sr.; Tara Veluvola,fr.; Abbie Boswell, sr.; Neuqua Valley: Anusha Pai, sr.; Taylor Hershey, sr.; Christina Stankovic, fr.; Jessica Chen so.; St. Francis: Ava Kolman, sr.; Alexix Langley, sr.; Annemarie Jagielo, sr.; Timothy Christian: McKenna Byrne, jr.; Waubonsie Valley: Suzanna Rantanen, sr.; Riya Sanjay, sr.; Wheaton Academy: Sally Litfin, so.; Maisie Howland, jr.; Wheaton North: Emme Lindquist, so.; Wheaton Warrenville South: Katya Scherabyna, jr.; York: Angela Avgerinos, sr.; Annie Rivera, sr.; Paige Wing, sr.; Abigail Kayman, sr.
Outlook: It was a magical year for the Naperville Central girls tennis team in 2013. The Redhawks finished fifth at state by qualifying a singles player and a pair of doubles teams. And that singles player, sophomore Chen, went on to win the state tournament with an incredible display of athleticism, skill and consistency. "She doesn't overwhelm opponents, she just wears them out," said Naperville Central coach Don Bonet. "She gets to every ball. The opponent thinks she has the point and Tiffany gets it. She also keeps herself very composed. If she hits a good shot or bad shot there's not a whole lot of change in emotion." She's a little stronger this year as she prepares to defend her state title.
The Redhawks are building a new team around her as veterans doubles players Cindy Liu and the team of Meaghan Bedigian and Sara Furukawa, who finished in the top 16, have graduated. Cass Goldner, who teamed with Liu to finish 7-8, will miss her senior year of varsity tennis with an injury. Several graduates of last year's junior varsity team that finished second in conference will get their chance as starters. "We'll have a lot of new starters in the lineup," Bonet said. "But it's nice to be able to pencil Tiffany in at No. 1."
Once again, the Redhawks' toughest competition in the DuPage Valley Conference will come from cross-town rivals Naperville North. The Huskies have practically everyone returning from last year plus the return to health of Boswell, a great athlete, and the addition of super freshman Veluvola. Boswell will probably be paired with state doubles qualifier Hu.
"We have a group of seniors who have played the same positions for two or three years," said Naperville North coach Heather Henricksen. "We have good depth at the top of our lineup with Abbie and Jessica together, and Tara at first singles is solid. Tara is the best freshman player I've ever coached. She can compete with Tiffany Chen."
Wheaton North with Lindquist at first singles and a deep doubles field is a strong candidate for third in the DVC, and Wheaton Warrenville South is improved but still in building mode. Scherabyna should be outstanding. Lake Park, which has one of the fine freshmen in the area in Odisho, could be right there with them.
Neuqua Valley won the Upstate Eight title for the umpteenth time and the Wildcats are favored again this year. Trudy Bennorth's team is deeper and more experienced than last year. The top positions are filled by outstanding players and there are three great freshmen who should crack the lineup and could take positions away from veterans.
"We have a lot of good choices," Bennorth said, "and at least four girls who could qualify for state at singles or doubles."
Waubonsie Valley will be the main threat to the Wildcats with six returning seniors and a strong sophomore class. "We need our doubles to be more aggressive," said Warriors coach Phil Galow. "If they are, we'll be competitive. Our singles lineup is very strong. We have depth and good chemistry." Conference newcomer Glenbard East could surprise its UEC foes. The Rams have a pair of aces at the top of the lineup. Palermo made a great showing at state her freshman year, winning five matches. Allen will challenge her for the top spot. "The two of them playing each other in practice should work to the advantage of both girls," said Glenbard East coach Bill Burt. He sees his doubles lineup as "promising and competitive." After last year's third-place finish in the UEC Valley Division, Metea Valley is in rebuilding mode with a handful of veterans and the graduates of a strong JV team.
Benet won its conference despite numerous injuries and illnesses. The Redwings graduated eight seniors, but the experience the younger players picked up while filling in bodes well for this year. Leah Tzakis, who made it to the top 32 at state, has graduated and is now at Notre Dame. Her sister Coco, also a state qualifier, will take her place at the top of the lineup. "Coco is a more mature player this year and her game has really improved," said Benet coach Michael Hand. "We're hoping to build a state-qualifying doubles team with Katie (Telford). Our goals are to win (the East Suburban Catholic Conference) and be playing our best tennis at the end of the year."
Glenbard South and Timothy Christian should both be forces in their respective divisions in the revamped Metro Suburban Conference. The Raiders won the championship last year and they're expecting to make a run at a repeat in the West Division. State qualifiers Brambora and Rettger formed a successful duo last year with their complementary games and great communication. No. 1 singles Fritz has a lot of power and she's getting more consistent. "We have a lot of good returning players," said Raiders coach Kevin Graham. "I expect us to be better than last year." Last year's conference runner-up, Timothy Christian, is favored in the East Division with six returning starters from a team that went 18-3.
IC Catholic, with state qualifier Hodyl is improved. Wheaton Academy is inexperienced, but Litfin and Howland are potential state qualfiers.
St. Francis won the Suburban Christian Conference and most of the cast returns. The Spartans are deep, experienced and talented.
Downers Grove South won the West Suburban Gold last year and the Mustangs have the horses to do it again. Pavlov, a three-year starter at first singles, and the state-qualifying doubles team of Bui and Urgello lead a group that is rich in both proven veterans and promising newcomers. With 10 starters returning Hinsdale South expects to challenge the Mustangs' conference supremacy. "Our kids worked really hard over the summer, especially at doubles," said Hornets coach Steve Snider. "We should have a strong doubles team and we hope to qualify a singles player and a doubles team for state."
Finally we come to the West Suburban Silver where perennial champion Hinsdale Central dominated with a fairly young team and went on to share the state title with Lake Forest. Five of the six girls on that state team are back. Lorenzini finished second at state in the singles bracket, and the team of Oku and Burich finished fifth. All three were freshmen. There are some promising newcomers who will compete for varsity spots. "We're starting this season with the goal of winning the state championship," coach Robin Kramer said. "And it's a very realistic goal." The Red Devils' continued dominance relegates some very good tennis teams such as Glenbard West and York to the role of conference also-rans. The Hilltoppers, who finished tied for 13th at state, features a pair of top-32 singles players in Bush and Maltby. York was just outside the top 20 at state and the Dukes are led by three-time state qualifier Averinos and state qualifier Wing.
Key dates: Sept. 6: Downers Grove South Invite; Sept. 13: Waubonsie Valley Varsity Challenge; Sept. 17: Benet at Glenbard South; Neuqua Valley at Naperville Central; Sept. 18: Glenbard East at Neuqua Valley; Sept. 23: Naperville Central at Naperville North; Sept. 25: Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley; Oct. 4: Naperville North Invite; Oct. 11: Conference Tournaments; Oct. 17-18: Sectionals; Oct. 23-25: State Tournament.
- Neil Shalin