Girls tennis: Dixon duo sets higher goals for second straight trip to state

Going into last weekend’s Class 1A Rochelle Sectional, Dixon girls tennis coach Jamie Brigl was confident her No. 1 doubles team of Leah Kuehl and Grace Ferguson had a strong chance to be crowned sectional champions.

Even as the top seed, the senior Kuehl and sophomore Ferguson didn’t feel any extra pressure when they stepped on the courts Friday, and they lost only one game in their first two matches to earn a spot in the semifinals – and a berth in this weekend’s 1A state tournament in the Chicago suburbs.

“We knew we’d be challenged in multiple ways,” Ferguson said. “The teams there were definitely good, but we were very confident going into it, and I feel like we knew that we had the chance to win. We just had to play well and pull through.”

After a first-round bye, the Duchesses duo won 6-0, 6-0 in the second round and 6-0, 6-1 to punch their ticket to state. But even after that, they still felt like they had work to do Saturday.

“At that point, it was really just about having fun,” Kuehl said. “But we knew we had a chance at winning, so we just had to keep a positive mindset and do what we knew we could do.”

The semifinal turned out be the tougher match, as they defeated a Sycamore pairing 6-3, 7-5 before dispatching the No. 2 seed form Rockford Boylan 6-3, 6-1 in the championship match.

Kuehl and Ferguson both pointed to their communication on the court as the key piece in their four victories.

“I definitely think communication was a big factor, and also it was definitely difficult dealing with the wind, but once we figured that out, it was nice to have that advantage of us being able to handle the wind,” Kuehl said. “I just think we played really well.”

“We really just talked to each other, we communicated really well, and helped each other on the court,” Ferguson added. “When we’re down, we’re really positive with each other, and make sure we’re always being positive.”

Their reward is a return trip to the state meet starting Thursday, when they will face Richland County’s Claire Uhl and Evie Potter in a first-round match at Schaumburg High School. Uhl and Potter finished fourth at the Centralia Sectional.

After losing their first two matches at state a season ago, Kuehl and Ferguson have a lot more on their minds this time.

“We definitely changed our goals a lot. We’re hoping to make it to the second day,” Ferguson said. “I don’t know if that’ll happen, but we’re just going into it with a positive mindset and are hoping for the best.”

Brigl said the reason they’re back in this position for a second straight season is because they’ve put in the work both physically and mentally to earn it.

“Last year Leah and Grace qualified for state and placed fourth at sectionals, but they weren’t satisfied,” Brigl said. “In the offseason they hit the weight room, improved all aspects of their tennis game, and played a tougher schedule this year to help improve their mental side.

“And last year, nerves got the best of them at sectionals, but this year they have had more big moments and big matches, and I believe this helped them stay calm and win the doubles title.”

For Kuehl, it’s her last hurrah as a Dixon tennis player. And although she’s determined to finish her career with a better showing than last season, she’s also going to keep reminding herself to soak up the atmosphere and experience as much as she can.

“It’s definitely nice to end it on a high note, and end it with a good experience, and I’m really glad that we were able to make it to state again this year,” Kuehl said. “I definitely think that it would be nice to make it to the second day, like Grace said, and just to win more games than we did last year, and to show improvement from last year to this year. I think that’d be really nice, especially since it’s my last year being down there. I’m not going to have this experience again, so I know I need to enjoy it – but also, I know that we have a goal and want to play well. I just have to try to balance both of them.”

Ferguson, who is now 2 for 2 on qualifying for state in her high school career, believes that two years of playing together is going to make a huge difference in their performance this weekend. She also alluded to the tougher competition throughout this season that Brigl referenced as a big plus heading into the suburbs.

“I think it’ll help that we’ve played some good competition this year,” Ferguson said. “However, the teams that are there are definitely a lot better than anyone we’ve played, so it’ll be challenging. But I think we have a lot of experience, especially playing together, so I think we’ll do great.”

Kuehl said the improvement and growth of the two as doubles partners is noticeable both in the way they play physically, and also the way they cope mentally. Both of those aspects of their game will be tested at state, but she also knows that she and Ferguson are more mature, confident and comfortable together.

That will make things easier on their side of the court no matter who they end up playing against.

“I think we’ve grown a lot,” Kuehl said. “We know how each other plays better, so we can move around the court together better. We’ve also grown mentally, so we don’t get frustrated as easily, and I think that definitely helps a lot on the court.”

Brigl points to that growth – in their individual games and as a doubles team – as the reason why they’ve taken the next step this season and put themselves in position to dream big and set higher goals for this year’s state meet.

“I am very proud of these two and the growth they have made in the last year,” she said. “We are looking forward to state not to just go, but also to see if we can win a couple of matches while we are there.”