Girls tennis: St. Francis takes second in quad

The four teams set to compete in Saturday's Raider Invite girls tennis quadrangular meet obviously wanted to get on the courts and play their best.

But for a while there was a question if they could stay on the courts. After St. Francis beat host Glenbard South 4-2 to start the morning off, it started to rain. Coaches and parents looked at weather radar on their cellphones. Heavier rain was on its way.

But that heavy rain never came, and what rain was there eventually went away. The courts at Glenbard South were blown dry of what rain fell with leaf blowers and the competition continued.

When the matches at St. Francis and Glenbard South ended, Fenwick was team champ with 16 points followed by St. Francis with 11 and the Raiders with 9. Elgin also competed. A point was earned with each individual match victory and each team played the other three squads.

St. Francis' first battle against the Raiders had postseason implications with both schools in the same Class 1A sectional, the one hosted by the Spartans.

Wins for St. Francis against the Raiders came from Julia Turek at No. 1 singles and Ava Carlson at No. 2.

Prevailing at No. 1 doubles were Jane Price and Marnie Kopec. The two seniors are having another great season after going 5-1 at state last year, reaching consolation bracket quarterfinals.

The win was the pair's 12th straight since Aug. 31.

"They're 14-3 so far. We play both 2A and 1A schools," said St. Francis coach Tom Castronovo before returning to St. Francis for the rest of the competition.

The No. 2 doubles pair of Michaella Rosenow and Elen Ryson also triumphed.

Glenbard South had wins against St. Francis thanks to Christina Fredrick at No. 3 singles and the No. 3 doubles pair of Reagan Rude and Jinju Ha.

"The season has gone well. We have a great group of girls that are very motivated," said Raiders coach Jim Fazio said. "We definitely have depth in doubles. It's a strength of ours."

Once the rain ended it was decided to play the matches using the 10-game pro set to make sure the meet got in before any additional rain returned.

"There's not really an adjustment in your play," said Glenbard South senior Amanda Rivera. "It's easier. There's less games, less pressure."

Glenbard South's lone team victory was a 6-0 win over Elgin. Singles wins came from Sophia Pistryak at No. 1, Claire Pohlman at No. 2 and Christina Fredrick at No. 3. The doubles sweep was Mikaely Evans and Alana O'Dowd at No. 1; Mikey Reif and Rude at No. 2 and Audrey Sweeney and Ha at No. 3.