Girls tennis: Scouting Lake County
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
LAKE ZURICH
Coach: Aaron Rogers (6th year)
Last season: 5th in conference, 8th in Stevenson sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Brenna Casey, Anna Lueken, Paige Savarese
Newcomers: Sophomores Laura Zborovsky and Jordan Dickson; freshman Sophia de los Reyes
Season outlook: TheBears are a young and inexperienced team having to replace eight seniors from last year's top-11 players. However, competition is heating up as coach Aaron Rogers and the troops have three sophomores and three freshmen in the mix for a starting spot. Top singles player Brenna Casey returns for her senior season and will be pushed on a daily basis by freshman Sophia de los Reyes. The NSC and Stevenson sectional was by far one of the most difficult in the area with previous state qualifiers not making it to the state tournament. "It will be interesting to see how sectionals are assigned this year and what teams will be able to make a postseason run," said Rogers.
LIBERTYVILLE
Coach: Dan Kiernan (11th year)
Last season: 8-5 overall, 7-1 in NSC Lake, 4th in NSC meet; 4th in Highland Park sectional
Top returning players: Senior Gabby Struik; juniors Dani Blaser, Tanvi Patel, Arthi Sekharan, Lauren Paulson
Newcomers: Seniors Mady Novak, Anna Mackey
Season outlook: No. 1 singles player Halle Roach (graduated) qualified for state last fall after finishing fourth at sectionals. But the Cats are still solid with singles player Dani Blaser, who finished in the top-24 at state. Callie Klein was also a state qualifier a year ago, and the Cats were 33rd at the state meet. Unfortunately for the Cats, Klein is sidelined for the season with an injury. But according to coach Dan Kiernan, "Dani is ready to compete and can do well at the sectional and state level. She's put in a ton of work during the off-season and is ready to take over the top singles spot." Kiernan said the rest of the lineup is up for grabs, but it looks like Arthi Sekharan and Tanvi Patel will play No. 1 doubles, while Gabby Struik and Mady Novak will complement them nicely at No. 2 doubles. "We expect to finish top 4 at conference," Kiernan said. "We will be looking to gain some experience this year at many of the positions with a lot of new combinations. Mackey and Lauren Paulson will most likely be Libertyville's other top singles player's this season.
MUNDELEIN
Coach: Brian Packowitz (5th year)
Last season: 4-8, 10th in NSC meet, 6th in Highland Park sectional
Top returning players: Senior Jessica Peterson; juniors Kalli Majewski and Kelli Cigelnik
Newcomers: Freshman Isabel Alviar
Season outlook: The Mustangs welcome a plethora of new faces this fall. "We graduated a lot of seniors and our focus will be on rebuilding that sense of a 'team'," coach Brian Packowitz said. The Mustangs are not short on talent, with returning players Kalli Majewski, Kelli Cigelnik and Jessica Peterson leading the charge. "The girls have been working really hard under the tutelage of our captains Melissa Tazioli and Megan Murphy," Packowitz said. "I think this year we may turn some heads."
STEVENSON
Coach: Tom Stanhope (6th year)
Last season: 18-0, 1st in NSC meet, 1st in Stevenson sectional, 2nd in state meet
Top returning players: Seniors Vinaya Rao and Gwenna Heidkamp; sophomores Zoe Taylor and Kate Harvey
Newcomers: Junior Dhwani Kumar; freshman Sasha Zoubareva
Season outlook: The Pats graduated seven seniors but retained a lot of talent at the top of the lineup. Vinaya Rao, Gwenna Heidkamp and Kate Harvey lead the charge. Rao and Harvey won the state doubles title last fall. "We return the defending state champs at doubles, but it remains to be seen where they'll be put in the lineup, as both players are versatile enough to play both singles and doubles," coach Tom Stanhope said. Zoe Taylor returns after playing No. 1, where last year she was a sparkling 43-1 in her freshman year. Stanhope has filled the seven voids with a lot of underclassmen who are adapting to the strength and speed of hitting with upperclassmen. "Still a little raw," Stanhope said, "but the talent is there to compete with other teams."
WARREN
Coach: Vince DeSecki (12th year)
Last season: 3rd in NSC meet, 1st in Lakes sectional, 5th in state
Top returning player: Senior Megan Waterhouse
Newcomers: Seniors Jenna Harper, Nicole Kravstov, Emma Falish; juniors Lily Honnold, Kristina Danos, Emma Paukert, CJ Querubin, Olivia Chen, Abby Oye, Rachana Reddy, Raquel Sanz, Marissa Matimore, Gaby Alcala; sophomores Ayusha Ayalur, Zoe Serelis, Britta Johnson; freshman Linsy Jante, Frankie Grimes
Season outlook: The Blue Devils are looking to repeat last year's performance when they finished a program-best fifth in the state. Although the Blue Devils graduated several key players, Megan Waterhouse and a host of new faces are ready to make an impact. "Even though we have a young team, we have many athletic girls who work hard and are very coachable," coach Vince DeSecki said. "We expect to get better with every week as our players gain experience at the varsity level." According to the coach, the goal for Warren this fall is finish in the top-4 of the NSC and qualify as many players as possible for the state meet.
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
ANTIOCH
Coach: Jamie D'Andrea (2nd year)
Last season: 5-3 overall, 7th in NSC meet, 2nd in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Anna Arden, Annie Horner; juniors Emma DeJong, Elizabeth Gardner, Sjana Henderson; sophomore Kelsey Neville
Season outlook: The Sequoits have nine returning players, led by state qualifier and No. 1 singles player Kelsey Neville. "She's our strongest player," coach Jamie D'Andrea said of the sophomore. "She played in a variety of competitive tournaments over the summer and looks sharper and stronger than ever." Sjana Henderson will play No. 2 singles. "She has the skills and abilities to do well this season, and her dynamic level of play will be entertaining for spectators, but frustrating for opponents," D'Andrea said. "I'm really excited about this season because we were so successful last year with so many new varsity players that I can only imagine how well we will do this year with so many returning players. The pressure is on to perform at least as well as we did last year, which might be tough to do. But I am confident that our players will become stronger this season simply because they have already good fundamentals and good camaraderie, leaving more time to focus on fine-tuning skills, as well as match strategy."
GRANT
Coach: Shea Wintersteen (4th year)
Last season: 4-10, 5th in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Katerina Antonishina, Alyssa Veness, Jasmine Syed, Michells Nguyen, Jasmin Robles; juniors Gaby Schoenberg, Kyrsten Bruce, Emily Bajerski, Madison Jared, Amanda Steinburg
Season outlook: The Bulldogs return nearly all of their doubles teams from last season, plus junior Gaby Schoenberg, who placed in the top 24 at state. Also back is veteran No. 2 Katerina Antonishina. Schoenberg (26-6) has been a standout player in the NSC Prairie but has struggled playing upper classmen in the Lake Division. She has made it to state the past two seasons. "The majority of the players that gave Gaby trouble from the Lake side have graduated, opening the door wider for a conference championship at No. 1 singles," coach Shea Wintersteen said. A four-year varsity starter, Antonishina (14-10) also has the ability to do well this season. Kyrsten Bruce returns at No. 1 doubles, though her permanent partner has yet to be chosen. Jasmine Syed and Alyssa Veness played No. 2 doubles last season. The duo created a wall when they made it to the net, Wintersteen said. This year the dynamic duo will likely be split up as one will be asked to play first singles with Antonishina.
LAKES
Coach: Bryan Plinske (10th year)
Last season: 5-8 overall, 11th in NSC meet, 4th in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Ally Perdue, Liana Lopez, Kelsey Feustel; juniors Sarah Gattone, Sydney Misiek, Alyssa Matthews, Maddie Tryner, Sarah Gajda
Season outlook: Last season's No. 1 doubles of Ally Perdue and Morgan Visser qualified for the state tournament and won their second match, the first state win by a girls team in school history. Visser graduated, but Perdue returns for her senior season. "The entire team came out to support Ally and Morgan last year (at state)," coach Bryan Plinske said. "They all have an understanding of what qualifying means and they are all hungry for it." The Eagles certainly want to improve on their 5-8 record from last year, and with their senior leadership they are well on our way. Plinske said his doubles teams are showing a great deal of consistency and are working daily to add new shots to their bag of skills.
ROUND LAKE
Coach: Atom Davis (6th year)
Last season: 3-10 overall, 8th in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Jackie Schmidt and Taylor Schneider
Season outlook: The Panthers are looking for continued solid play from veterans Jackie Schmidt and Taylor Schneider, while younger players gain varsity experience. "We have a lot of new players, so this year will be a work in progress," coach Atom Davis said. "The goal is to improve with each day of practice and to learn a little bit more with each match that we play. Our (girls) have practiced hard and they have taken instruction very well. We look forward to a fun season."
VERNON HILLS
Coach: Doug Gerber (15th year)
Last season: 6-0 in NSC Prairie, 11-9-1 overall, 6th in NSC meet, 3rd in Stevenson sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Leah Dosemagen, Isabel Kosoglaz, Sneha Sivaram, Lucy Wu; juniors Olivia Jazbutis, Jessica Tartakovsky, Leah Jacoby; sophomore Sydney Pacer
Newcomers: Seniors Jin-Joo Chung, Kelly Davis; juniors Kathy Chen, Pavani Pandravada, Ashwini Deshpande; freshman Jenny Deng
Season outlook: The Cougars have won the NSC Prairie 12 times in the last 15 years, and chances look good for yet another title this fall. With the graduation of No. 1 doubles players Shreya Kathuria and Jilliam Roussel, coach Doug Gerber will rely on last year's experienced players such as Leah Dosemagen, Sneha Sivaram and Sydney Pacer to lead the charge. Singles will see Olivia Jazbutis and Jessica Tartakovsky return to their roles as anchors of the singles positions. "We are talented with a young crop of players, and finding the right positions will be a work in progress for the first few matches of the season," Gerber said.
WAUCONDA
Coach: Ryan Whitfield (1st year)
Last season: 5-1 in NSC Prairie, 11-5 overall, 9th in NSC meet, 5th in Highland Park sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Marissa Miller, Janvee Patel; sophomore Sarah Hackman
Newcomers: Seniors Alison Beeman, Katie Miller, Brianna Zukowski, Nikki Fehns; juniors Jessica Diol, Katie Odell, Hailey Brew, Emma Lewandowski
Season outlook: First-year coach Ryan Whitfield has much to look forward to this season with a good mix of returning and new players. Sophomore Sarah Hackman returns at No. 1 singles after splitting four matches at state last year. Marissa Miller and Janvee Patel also return and will team up at No. 1 doubles. According to the coach, the rest of the lineup will be formed by players from a strong JV team last year. "They are excited for the chance to compete at the varsity level," said Whitfield. "We have several new players with varsity experience in other sports. Their athleticism will help tremendously in the adjustment to varsity tennis." The Bulldogs are looking to finish in the top half of the NSC Prairie and improve on their finish in the conference tournament. "The rest of the conference will be strong and we will have a lot of competitive dual matches," Whitfield said. "I am also expecting good things this year from Emma Lewandowski, who will be playing No. 2 singles in her first year on the varsity."
FOX VALLEY FOX
GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL
Coach: Chuck Lawson (9th year)
Last season: 3rd in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Ann Hebb, Friederike Conradt, Kelsey Littner, Raquel Ruiz, Nicole Tatsuguchi
Newcomers: Juniors Jessica Kula, Katie Murphy, Kathrene Tolentino, Miranda Eby, Riley Mack, Katherine Pauley, Genesis Reyes, Mary Schimanski, Hannah Wilson, Trisha Yen, Robin Hartman, Danielle Kaply; sophomores Lia Boucek, Avra Reddy.
Top newcomers: Freshman Franchesca Tolentino.
Season outlook: The Rams are definitely not short on numbers, as they count 20 girls on the varsity roster. Grayslake Central got off to a great start last week, winning its opener 6-1 over Fox Valley rival Dundee-Crown. The team will get a nice test Labor Day weekend when it competes in the Warren Quad.
GRAYSLAKE NORTH
Coach: Jill Tomasello (11th year)
Last season: 9th in FVC meet, 7th in Lakes sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Abby Rice, Emma Krostal, Paige Proessel, Charlotte Muehlman and Gillian Mueller
Newcomers: Juniors Catie Dole, Annie Scoltock, Jaclyn Williams, Emma Indelcoffer
Season outlook: The Knights might go through a few growing pains this fall. But the team has a solid core nucleus with five returning seniors. Coach Jill Tomasello said her team will have a new lineup. "We are really excited about the change and the new fresh players we have with (Catie) Dole, (Annie) Scoltock, (Jaclyn) Williams and (Emma) Indelcoffer looking to make an impact. Our outlook on this year's season is excitement and hopeful."
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC
CARMEL
Coach: Chris Kannenberg (3rd year)
Last season: 10-0 in ESCC, 1st in Highland Park sectional
Top returning players: Seniors Claire Campbell, Allison Cuba, Hannah Felipez, Madeleine Gomez, Valerie Jarencio, Claire Kosik, Morgan Margiotta, Inna Noll, Caroline Nonnenmacher, Claire Petrus, Emma Scheer, Madeline Titus; juniors Karina Falkstrom, Marie Kapelevich
Newcomers: Juniors Julia Baladad, Hannah Byun
Season outlook: State singles champion and ESCC player of the year Brienne Minor graduated and is now showcasing her talents at the University of Michigan. No worries though, as the Corsairs are loaded once again with 12 seniors. They return junior Marie Kapelevich, who is poised for a run at state. The Corsairs are off to a flying start, winning their first four dual meets, a stretch where they were victorious in 18 out of 20 possible matches. Karina Falkstrom and Emma Scheer were the ESCC champs at No. 3 doubles last year.