Girls tennis: Streator falls to Coal City in home opener

STREATOR – The Streator girls tennis team didn’t earn any victories in its home opener Tuesday afternoon at the SHS Athletic Fields.

The Bulldogs did, however, pick up a smattering of sets – and more importantly some early-season experience and a chance to evaluate themselves against an opponent they’ll see again – in what ultimately turned out to be a 5-0 loss to the visiting Coal City.

“It is a good measuring stick. It sets a good baseline for us, and the next time we play them we can have more specific goals about what we want to happen,” Bulldogs coach Kaye Tallier said.

“I don’t foresee a lot of change in our lineup, though. I think that’s pretty set as far as who’s playing where. ... We just have to continue to find those areas where we can improve.”

Streator’s girls had a bit more success in doubles play than in the two singles matches Tuesday. That doubles competitiveness was led by a nail-biter of a match at the No. 2 slot, where Streator’s Svetlana Mishalkova and Mina James were edged by Coal City’s No. 2 team-up of Ava Solis and Kylie Jackson, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9.

“I was really happy with how they did,” Tallier said of Mishalkova and James. “They won that first set, and then they hung tough in the tiebreak, losing the match by literally two points. Mina James is a sophomore playing with a senior who lost her partner to graduation last year, so we threw Mina in about a week ago, and I think [that pairing] looks really promising.

“I was really happy with how they played. If they can just be more consistent, and with time that will happen, that looks like the right fit.”

The No. 1 Streator doubles team of Charlie Bourell and Syria Zuniga put up a pretty good fight as well, eventually falling, 6-3, 6-3, to the Coalers’ Abby Stiles and Ana Flores. At No. 3 doubles, Coal City’s Rachel Hall and Erica Esparsa defeated the Bulldogs tandem of Ebony Pickens and Brianna Janke.

At No. 2 singles, it was Trindy Barns defeating the Bulldogs’ Lucy Zavada by a 6-1, 6-0 tally. At No. 1 singles, Streator’s Claire Vogel had a lot of competitive rallies but came out on the wrong end of a 6-3, 6-0 loss to the visitors’ Molly Stiles.

“I think Claire is hitting the ball really well. She’s smart and she’s moving better,” Tallier said of her No. 1. “So where the space is coming from in her matches, we’re going to need to figure that out yet, but we’ll figure that out.”

Streator did win the day’s JV event, besting Coal City behind wins from Angelina Dellinger (8-3), Rheagan Goluba (8-0) and the doubles teams of Alex Mahan and Kaylee Harris (6-3), Marisa Vickers and Franchesca Rodriguez (8-6) and Lilly Mattingly and Katie Stipp (8-2).

Streator is scheduled to visit Coal City for a multi-school event Sept. 18. Next up on the schedule the Bulldogs will visit Peoria High on Thursday before returning home for three straight home matches against Pontiac (9/7), Ottawa (9/8) and Princeton (9/14).