Girls tennis: Ottawa wins sectional title, sending 3 entries to state

OTTAWA – Home is supposed to be where you’re most at ease, and the courts alongside Ottawa’s King Field has certainly proven a cradle of comfort for the Pirates girls tennis squad.

The host school of the IHSA Class 1A Sectional saw three of its participants punch their tickets to the state final tournament next week in the Chicago suburbs, and in doing so earned the Pirates a field-best 30 points and an incredible 32nd sectional team championship.

The doubles team of Rylee O’Fallon and Jenna Smithmeyer defeated teammates Isabel Heimsoth and Emma Walker in the all-Ottawa doubles championship match, while another teammate, Emma Cushing, placed second in the singles final to earn a state trip.

La Salle-Peru also advanced three to state with top-four finishes, including singles champion Carlie Miller. Also moving on were the doubles teams of Ava Lannen and Emelia Hachenberger, who defeated their teammates Isabella Pohar and Kaylie Reese in the third-place match. Those efforts lifted the Cavaliers to 25 points and second as a team behind the host Pirates.

Also making the trip to state will be Morris’ Gretchen Zarbock, who placed fourth in the singles competition.

Just who and where the locals will be playing will likely be announced late Monday or early Tuesday, when the IHSA is expected to release the pairings, seeds and sites.

“This was a very good day fo our program,” Ottawa coach Steve Johnson said, “especially for Isabel and Emma, who have been our No. 2 all season and beat L-P’s No. 1 to get to the final. It was the best they’ve played all year and they put it all together at the right time in the right place.

“All the girls stepped up today. Last Saturday at conference wasn’t our best day, so all this week we worked on being positive and enjoying the game and it sure seemed to take place for us.”

Smithmeyer, who teamed with Kyleigh Olszewski last year to make state, and O’Fallon started their run on Friday with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Morris’ Keira Kjellesvik and Faith Bogard, then beat St. Bede’s Alyssa Engels/Kristal De La Torre by that same shutout score. That set up a semifinal encounter with L-P’s Reese/Pohar that the Pirates won 6-3, 6-1.

Heimsoth and Walker registered the upset L-P’s No. 2 seeded Hachenberger/Lannen in a close 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 decision in the semis to get to the championship match. There, they put up a fight in the final but fell to their Pirate teammates 6-1, 6-2.

“The [cold] weather didn’t affect us much. It did take away the lobs, which we use pretty well, but I felt we worked pretty well in those conditions,” O’Fallon said. “Winning the sectional is great. I think we deserved it, going 6-0, 6-0 twice yesterday and not losing many games today. I think we played our best and got us ready for state.”

Added Smithmeyer, “My setting [Rylee] up, her getting the net shot after I hit a good shot, was working for us today. … I think we’ve improved in every aspect of the game this season and we’re playing pretty well, though we could all use a little improvement for state.”

Miller, who a year ago surprised many by surging far enough into the state finals to finish in the top 24 in 1A, opened her path to the sectional title with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Pontiac’s Destiny Smith, then dispatched Coal City’s Emma Kurtz 6-0, 6-0 to reach the semifinal against Zarbock, where the Cavs standout came away with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.

In the singles final, Miller moved her volleys side to side to vex Cushing, who had played a long 6-2, 6-3 semifinal against Coal City’s Abby Stiles, to come away with the 6-0, 6-2 win over the Pirates star.

“I think I played well in the final. My goal was to be aggressive but at the same time smart and I think I accomplished that,” Miller said. “The competition here today really pushed me to be at my best, and that’s good. I like being pushed that way. Now I’m excited to try my best and see what I can do at state this year. That’s all I can do.”

Zarbock, who was a state qualifier a year ago as the doubles partner of the graduated Elizabeth Kenney, dropped her semifinal to Miller, then lost to Coal City’s Stiles 6-3, 6-4 in the third-place match.

“My serves were decent today and I felt I hustled a lot, so I’m happy with how I played,” Zarbock said. “Running so much kept me warm. ... I felt since the beginning of the season that I could make it to state again if I put the work in and I made it. This year, I’ll be a lot more calm than last year.”

Coal City claimed third place in the team standings with 17 points, followed by Morris (14), Streator (6), Pontiac (6), St. Bede (6) and Kankakee (4). Mendota and Kankakee McNamara failed to score.