ALGONQUIN – Huntley needed an assist from Lake Zurich to win the Golden Eagles girls tennis tournament Saturday at Jacobs.
With one match still to play for both teams, the Red Raiders and Maine West each had a chance to win the first-place trophy. In order for Jacobs to claim top honors outright, Lake Zurich would need to beat the Warriors in the No. 1 singles championship between West’s Lilliam Dockal and Lake Zurich’s Katrine Bolanov.
Bolanov, a freshman, prevailed, 8-1, to secure the first-place trophy for Huntley.
The Red Raiders ended the day with 22 points to West’s 21. Lake Zurich matched the Warriors’ point total to share the second-place plaque.
Because of weather conditions, matches were played with an eight-game pro-set format. A player needed to take eight games to win the contest.
Bolanov said the keys to her win over Dockol were “staying calm and being consistent.” Bolanov won the Glenbrook South sectional singles title last year.
“It was a great day for us. I think it was just consistency. Three of our four entries placed in the top four,” Huntley coach Barry Wells said. “We actually tried a couple of new things today. We tried out different players in different positions, and it worked out well for us. I was very pleased with how it worked and very proud of my girls.”
Huntley’s Kylie Phommasack took second in No. 2 singles, dropping the title bout to West’s Emily Halat, 8-2. Teammate Ruhi Gulati finished fourth in the No. 1 singles tourney after being edged by Elgin Academy’s Noelle Lanton, 8-3, in the third-place contest. The Red Raiders also took third place in the No. 1 doubles tournament.
“Our singles players both did great. We just wanted to try Kylie out at singles today. She hadn’t played singles for a couple of years and placed second,” Wells said. “Ruhi had an awesome day. She had a great match in the semifinals and almost beat Halat. The No. 1 doubles team never played together, and they took third today.”
The Jacobs senior duo of Isha Desai and Kaya Trumbo took top honors in No. 1 doubles, downing St. Charles East’s Caroline Donati and Audrey Jones, 8-2.
“I think we were pretty consistent and aggressive at the nets. I think that really helped us. Our serving was solid, and most of all our communication was good. Plus, we stayed positive,” Desai said. “[The heat] wasn’t too bad because we practice in this heat as well, but it was challenging to get our energy up. We paced ourselves and stayed hydrated.”
Desai and Trumbo have not played together since their freshman years.
“It’s great to see them back playing together again this year. They have been with different partners or playing singles. They played great together,” Jacobs coach Jon Betts said. “They have had an outstanding start to this season, and I expect big things out of both of them this year.”
Barrington (20 points) came in fourth in the 16-team field. St. Charles East and Dunlap tied for fifth place. Both teams had 19 points.
Even with temperatures in the 90s, Betts said the tournament was a success.
“I think despite the heat the girls played well. We made some adjustments. With the temperatures forecast we shortened the format to get the play done before the heat of the day,” Betts said.
“We really love to host this tournament. You test yourself against different opponents which is great early in the season,” Betts said. “We got a better sense of where we’re at and what we need to work on.”