Girls tennis: Barrington hangs on for MSL title
For a 23rd consecutive season, Barrington is the Mid-Suburban League girls tennis champion.
But this time, it was close.
Four Fillies players went to their respective finals on Saturday in the conference tournament at Rolling Meadows, and a total of six Barrington entries brought home medals.
Barrington finished with 53 points, while Fremd was right behind with 48 points. Buffalo Grove and Palatine tied for third with 37. The Fillies had earlier wrapped up another MSL West divisional title, while Buffalo Grove won the East.
"Everybody counted, and I felt everyone matched up well to their seed," said Barrington coach Tracy Waters-Miller. "I thought the singles could hold their position and the doubles had a good chance to win if they made it to the finals. We had great chemistry all year."
Barrington hopes the experience prepares it for a rugged sectional next weekend at Hersey. The field will include most of the MSL teams, plus North Suburban Conference champ Stevenson and Lake Zurich.
"We play in one of the toughest sectional in the state," Waters-Miller said. "Singles are loaded, and there are five or six good doubles team. We'll come to play. We just need to stay focused."
Palatine junior Asuka Kawai registered her third straight conference title at No. 1 singles. The three-time state qualifier and last year's third-place state finisher had a tough opponent, three-time state qualifier Jelena Vujanic of Elk Grove, in the final.
Kawai was able to collect her hardware after an intense 10 deuces in the final game of the final set with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
"(Vujanic) is really tough, she gets to every single point," Kawai said. "I have to get myself ready for sectionals and state. I'll see a lot of these players next week and it's a clean slate at sectionals. I need to expect anything that's coming, and play the best I can every single point."
Kawai's teammates at first doubles, sophomore Ky Oreshkin and freshman Kanae Kawai, took an auspicious route to their final as they defeated Fremd's Kate Bodensteiner/Julia Smiarowska, a top-16 finisher in last season's state tournament. Kawai/Oreshkin were down a set and trailing 5-1 in the second but rallied out of that deep hole to upset Fremd 6-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
The Palatine pair met Barrington's No. 1 doubles team and top seed Nidhi Jha/Sara Amano in the final, and nearly mimicked their semifinal outcome, forcing a tiebreaker after coming out of a second set from a 5-2 deficit. Ulimately, Jha/Amano fended off the Pirates 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
The Jha/Amano duo has blossomed this year after notching victories against top state duos from both Lyons and Stevenson. They now have a another conference title to add to their resume - Jha previously won at No. 1 doubles in 2014, while Amano won a title at No. 2 singles last season.
"This season has been awesome in general," Jha said. "Sarah has played amazing and you can't ask for a better partner. I think it gives us good morale, especially because we'll see Palatine and Fremd next week. The win gives us a huge boost to our confidence when you can beat two tough and talented teams."
Other Barrington champs included at No. 3 singles, where Sydney Nedelcu defeated Fremd's Abbie Stelnecki 6-1, 6-2.
At No. 3 doubles, the Fillies' Mia Nguyen/Kathleen Tomasian notched a 6-2, 6-1 win over Fremd's Jane Bodensteiner/Rachael Carlins, and at No. 4, Maanasa Kanimilli/Caroline Tomasian edged out Prospect's Elisa Paul/Cameron Kelly 6-2, 6-4.
Fremd and Elk Grove also showcased champions: The Vikings' No. 2 doubles team, Selin Parmaksiz/Kellie Ha, won 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 over Barrington's Hannah Park/Josie Trautwein. And at No. 2 singles, Elk Grove's Jovana Vujanic won against Fremd's Elsie Ha 6-3, 6-4.
"I think all season we've had tough competition," said Fremd coach Lauren O'Donnell, referring to Palatine's double team of Oreshkin/Kawai. "I'm really eager to play them again. It was tough to get over, but we have to play like every match is a new one.
"This really builds our confidence. We've had a great season and it gives us a good experience for sectionals and hopefully state. I'm really looking forward to work on some things in practice this week."
The road to state begins next week as the area teams play in their respective sectional matches.
In addition to the Hersey site, area teams will be in action at Conant, Glenbrook South, Niles West and Vernon Hills. Elk Grove, Hoffman, Schaumburg and the Cougars will compete at Conant. Maine West will travel to Glenbrook South, Leyden plays at Niles West and St. Viator goes to Vernon Hills.
"Overall we had a pretty good season," Carlins said. "One loss doesn't define our year."