IHSA Class 1A Girls Tennis State Finals: Ottawa qualifiers see season come to a close

In suburban Chicago, Ottawa High School’s entrants at the IHSA State Girls Tennis Finals all opened competition Thursday, with singles ace Ella Marvel playing her way into Friday’s action before falling.

Marvel on Thursday won her opening two matches on the singles bracket — 6-2, 6-0 over Danville Schlarman’s Maya Jenny and 6-0, 6-0 over Timothy Christian’s Angie Tornabene — before suffering her first loss in the double-elimination tournament, 6-2, 6-1 to Chicago University’s Sanskriti Sarav.

Marvel — a three-time state qualifier — entered the consolation bracket Friday morning, falling to St. Viator’s Maia Nowicki at Palatine Fremd High School by scores of 6-4, 6-3 to see her run come to an end.

The Ottawa doubles team of Kyleigh Olszewski and Jenna Smithmeyer earned a victory at IHSA State between two losses Thursday. After being topped 6-0, 6-0 by Elgin Academy’s Addison Lanton and Noelle Lanton, the Pirates No. 1 doubles tandem bested St. Thomas More’s Audrey Horn and Nora Kelley 6-3, 6-4. Olszewski and Smithmeyer were then eliminated via a 6-2. 6-2 loss to Troy Triad’s Karen Speer and Sami Hartoin.

Ottawa’s other entrant, singles standout Sara Meyer, was defeated in both her matches Thursday. Meyer fell 6-1, 6-3 to Kaneland’s Evelyn Taylor, then lost 6-1, 6-0 to Troy Triad’s Jocelynn Carmody to finish her varsity career.