Girls tennis: Carney, Ochalik excited for 4th state trip

While this will be a special week for all of the area's girls tennis players who qualified for the IHSA finals in the northwest suburbs, it will be very significant for two of them in particular.

Joliet West's Eileen Carney and Plainfield North's Gabby Ochalik are not only among the select club of local players who are making their fourth appearances in the finals but they are part of an even more-exclusive group that have done so each year in singles competition.

After the pair of unbeatens met for a sectional championship, their third such meeting in four years, they hope that they've saved their best effort for last when play gets underway on Thursday. Although it certainly won't be easy, both Carney and Ochalik would like to earn a medal for a top-six showing in the Class 2A meet during their final appearances at state.

Both competitors made their best run at that honor in 2015 with Carney going 4-2 and reaching the sixth round of the consolation bracket while Ochalik went 3-2 and got to the fifth round in consolation play. Only one player from a Joliet Township school has won a medal (West's Sandy Leslie in 1977-78) and no one has done that from a Plainfield district school.

Carney has committed to continue her career and education at the University of Toledo while Ochalik has verbally committed to Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis for her education and the continuation of her career. Carney's victory over Ochalik at last Saturday's Lockport Sectional was her fourth sectional championship.

A number of area players in Class 2A will also be making their second state appearances. Sectional champions in doubles who return to state are Lockport senior Kaitlyn Graves and junior Brianna Hillock and Lincoln-Way East seniors Makenzie Helsel and Cassie Weyker.

Minooka seniors Gabby Hajduk and Grace Thelo also qualified for state when they were freshmen in doubles. And Lincoln-Way East seniors Erin Klein and Claire Stec also advanced with Klein being a qualifier in singles a year ago.

Other doubles teams that will be making their first state trips are Lockport senior Gabby Perillo and sophomore Natalie Barth, Plainfield North senior Sarah Trusk and junior Shreya Sharma and Lincoln-Way West senior Meghan Maynard and sophomore Natalie Singh.

Two other singles players will be competing at the state for the second year in a row. They are Providence Catholic senior Sophie Davis and Lincoln-Way Central sophomore Emma Rimkunas, who played for a sectional title, which Davis won.

The other three singles qualifiers will all be making their initial state appearances. They are Plainfield North freshman Grace Chadick, Lockport junior Cassidy Hillock and Lincoln-Way Central sophomore Kiana Sikich.

In Class 1A, Joliet Catholic Academy sophomore Mia Bertino won her second-straight sectional title. She'll be joined at state by the Angels doubles team of seniors Sarah Markun and Caitlyn Spreitzer. Also in Class 1A, Lemont junior Grace Horky will be making her second state trip, having also gotten there two years ago.