The 2017 IHSA Class 1A & 2A Girls Tennis State Finals will unfold throughout Chicagoland on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 19-21. Buffalo Grove High School remains Tournament Central for both classes, and will host all of Saturday’s matches, while other matches will be contested at the courts from the high schools in Districts 211, 214 & 220 (see right sidebar).
Earlier this week, a committee of coaches seeded the Top 4 players in each bracket, who are then separated in the bracket. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are set, while the two singles players/doubles tandems designated as the No. 3/4 seeds are interchangeable between the two seed positions. The committee then seeds a group of four players from 5-8. The players in those groupings are assigned to the remainder of the bracket, with provisions made to try and prevent players from the same high school or same Sectionals from having to matchup until as late as possible in the meet. The same process is then used for seeding 9-16.
CLASS 1A
Singles Seeds:
1 Nicole Roc, Northside
2 Megan Heuser, Lakes
3-4 Kelsey Neville, Antioch
Sarah Hackman, Wauconda
5-8 Jennifer Lewis, Chicago University
Haley Fakouri, Fenwick
Mia Bertino, Joliet Catholic Academy
Claudia Miller, North Shore Country Day
Doubles Seeds:
1 Abygale Ahn - Cassandra Lee, Timothy Christian
2 Maya Seymore - Annabel Edwards, Latin
3-4 Lauren Hird - Noely Baumann, Alleman
Katie McGraw - Ellie Gallagher, Ottawa
5-8 Patricia Dizon - Greta Zimmerman, St. Viator
Erin Vits - Maddy Jacobs, Newman Central Catholic
Olivia Melichar - Mary Nester, Althoff Catholic
Anna Lytchakov - Medha Venigalla, Glenwood
Benet Academy won the team state title in the inaugural season of two-class tennis, but the Redwings find themselves in Class 2A this year, assuring a new 1A champ. Only one school in the 1A field, Kaneland, qualified the maximum four entries (6 total players, two singles, two doubles) this weekend, led by Singles 9/16 seed Madelyn Jurasek. Kaneland and Glenwood tied for the top Sectional team score, as each netted 32 points, while Normal UHIGH was the only other Sectional champ to net 30 points or more. Joliet Catholic Academy (2nd in 2016) and Bloomington Central Catholic (3rd) have three and two qualifiers, respectively, a year after both programs won state trophies. Alleman, North Shore Country Day (Singles 5/8 Claudia Miller; Doubles 9/16 Alex Arenson & Caroline Lommer) and St. Anthony (Singles 9/16 Emilee Mossman; Doubles 9/16 Allison Kowalke & Claire Wortman) will have a chance to accrue significant teams points, as all three have a seeded singles player and doubles team.
Northside senior Nicole Roc didn’t qualify for the state tournament a year ago, but she is now the favorite to win the Class 1A Singles field. If the seeds hold true, the No. 1 ranked Roc would face Lakes freshman Megan Heuser in the finals.
Antioch’s Kelsey Neville earned the 3/4 seed and will come into her senior season state tourney with plenty of confidence. Neville advanced to the semifinals a year ago, where she fell to eventual state champ Madison Tattini (Bloomington Central Catholic), before finishing fourth.
Wauconda senior Sarah Hackman won three matches in the Class 2A tournament a year ago, and is the No. 3/4 seed as the Bulldogs drop to 1A this year.
Joliet Catholic Academy’s Mia Bertino, a 5/8 seed in 2017, suffered the same fate a year ago, falling to Tattini in the quarterfinals before ending her season in the consolation semifinals. That loss came to Fenwick’s Haley Fakouri, who placed sixth last year and is also a 5/8 seed this weekend.
Another name to watch is 9/16 seed Lily Schoeck from Alleman. The junior won four matches at last year’s state tourney, bowing out in the consolation quarterfinals to the eventual fifth-place winner.
The top doubles seed was earned by Timothy Christian’s junior tandem of Cassandra Lee and Abygale Ahn, the latter of whom reached the consolation semifinals playing singles a year ago. The Latin School has the No. 2 seeded doubles team, which features Maya Seymore. Seymore reached the doubles quarterfinals a year ago, eventually finishing sixth, and is now teaming up with fellow senior Annabel Edwards.
One of the 3/4 doubles seeds went to a returning pair of players in Alleman’s Lauren Hird and Noely Baumann. A year ago as sophomores, the tandem reached the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket. The remaining 3/4 seed was claimed by Ottawa seniors Katie McGraw and Ellie Gallagher, who won a match together playing in Class 2A last year.
CLASS 2A
Singles Seeds:
1 Kolie Allen, Glenbard East
2 Anastasia Goncharova, Evanston
3-4 Michelle Bacalla, Niles North
Kiley Rabjohns, Lake Forest
5-8 Emily Casati, Deerfield
Zoe Taylor, Stevenson
Samantha Choi, Wheaton Warrenville South
Agata Mikos, Hinsdale South
Doubles Seeds:
1 Amia Ross - Ali Benedetto, New Trier
2 Elizabeth Stefancic - Maria Goheen, West Aurora
3-4 Katherine Harvey - Elizabeth Ferdman, Stevenson
Sarah Badawi - Kathryn Treiber, Hinsdale Central
5-8 Molly Rueth - Grace Giffin, Glenbard West
Sylwia Mikos - Aimee Puz, Hinsdale South
Kate Bodensteiner - Julia Smiarowska, Fremd
Camryn Salter - Darinka Stepan, Whitney Young
Two classes didn’t change Hinsdale Central’s one goal, as the Red Devils collected their fourth consecutive state title, which includes a co-championship shared with Lake Forest in 2013, a year ago. Speaking of co-champs, second place trophy was shared last season by Lyons and Stevenson. The former scored the top Sectional team score in the class (36) this season and enters the weekend with the maximum four entries (6 total players, two singles, two doubles), a feat also achieved by Fremd, Highland Park (T6th in 2016) and Sandburg. While Hinsdale Central has dominated the tennis landscape historically, its fellow district school Hinsdale South could be in line for a special weekend. The Hornets enter with two ranked Singles players (5/8 Agata Mikos & 9/16 Marta Mikos), as well as a ranked Doubles tandem (5/8 Sylwia Mikos & Aimee Puz). Stevenson enters with a similar situation, as the Patriots have three players in both fields (Singles 5/8 Zoe Taylor; Doubles 3/4 Katherine Harvey & Elizabeth Ferdman, and 9/16 Alyssa Glaser & Bronwyn Heidkamp). Highland Park (Singles 9/16 Caitlin Goldberg; Doubles 9/16 Monique Brual & Samara Michael), Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central and New Trier all enter with a pair of seeded players in the field as well.
Glenbard East senior Kolie Allen enters the singles tourney as the No. 1 seed. Allen wasn’t a part of the state final field in 2016, but placed fifth as a sophomore in 2015.
Evanston senior Anastasia Goncharova earned the No. 2 Singles seed one year after placing second. A year ago, she was outlasted by since graduated Lahari Yelamanchili from Lyons in a closely contested state title match (7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6)). Goncharova knocked off Hinsdale Central’s Olivia Oosterbaan in last year’s quarterfinals, but Oosterbaan rebounded by winning her next consolation match and enters her junior year state tourney as a 9/16 seed.
Niles North senior Michelle Bacalla shares the 3/4 seed with Lake Forest freshman Kiley Rabjohns. Bacalla went all the way to the semifinals a year ago, before falling to state champ Yelamanchili and eventually finishing fourth. Wheaton Warrenville South junior Samantha Choi, a 5/8 seed in 2017, fell to Yelamanchili in last year’s quarterfinals, but then won her final three matches to place fifth.
Glenbard West’s Sienna Lopez earned a 9/16 seed after reaching the consolation quarterfinals as a freshman in 2016, while Naperville Central sophomore Jacquelyn Qi also advanced to that round last year and will be a player to watch despite not being seeded.
One of New Trier’s two seeded doubles tandems happens to be the state title favorites, as seniors Amia Ross and Ali Benedetto earned the top seed. Ross was part of a doubles team that placed fifth last year.
West Aurora’s pairing of seniors Elizabeth Stefancic and Maria Goheen produced the tourney’s No. 2 seed, a year after Stefanic won three state final matches in singles play.
Hinsdale Central sophomores Sarah Badawi and Kathryn Treiber are 3/4 Doubles seeds and hope to become the 11th pairing from the school to win the doubles state title.
Fremd seniors Kate Bodensteiner & Julia Smiarowska are one of the few doubles combos from last year’s tourney returning intact, and the pair will be a 5/8 seed after reaching the consolation quarterfinals a year ago.
One half of last year’s state runner-up returns, as Glenbrook North senior Catherine O’Regan is back, this time playing with fellow senior Samantha Frishman (9/16 seed).
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TOURNAMENT HISTORY
46th year of State Series
2nd year of two-class series
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Buffalo Grove High School
OTHER COURTS
Barrington High School
Conant High School
Elk Grove High School
Fremd High School
Hersey High School
Hoffman Estates High School
Palatine High School
Prospect High School
Rolling Meadows High School
Schaumburg High School
Wheeling High School
SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 19
All matches - 8:00 am *
Friday, October 20
Consolation - 8:00 am *
Championship - 9:00 am *
Saturday, October 21
Consolation - 8:00 am
Championship - 9:00 am
* Suspended matches will be played at a site and time TBA by tournament managers
WEATHER
Updates/delays posted on Twitter at @IHSAWeather
LIVE RESULTS
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
TICKETS
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BROADCAST
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HISTORY & RECORDS
2017 1A Sectionals
2017 2A Sectionals
Record Book & Past Champions
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