NOTE: Bolingbrook and Plainfield North did not submit team info for this season

Coal City

Coach: Matthew Leman

Top returners: Becca Hall, sr.; Cam Planeta, sr.; Kamryn Hansen, sr.; Kyla Kohler, sr.; Bridget Feeney, sr.; Lanie Winke, jr.; Kyla Stark, jr

Key newcomers: Kenzie Lovell, sr.; Liv Weatherbee, sr.

Worth noting: Hall was the number one singles player for the Coalers last year while Planeta/Hansen and Kohler/Feeney are the lead doubles teams. Winke is the No. 2 singles player. Hall was very close to making state last season. Leman said, “I couldn’t be happier with my team this season. I have several quality players returning who worked hard to improve their skills, and they have excellent attitudes on and off the court. I am lucky to have nine senior leaders guide the direction of this team, and while I know we will have some tough matches against some great opponents like LaSalle Peru, Ottawa, and Morris, I’m not counting these girls out until the last ball bounces twice.”

Joliet Catholic

Coach: Tyler Eakle

Top returners: Megan Ardaugh, jr.; Alondra Espino, jr.; Georgia Buza, jr., Madeline Darley, jr

Key newcomers: N/A

Worth noting: Ardaugh and Espino were sectional champions at doubles and were one win away from making it to day two of state last year. Buza and Darley were state qualifiers as well. Eakle said, “I am very excited for this season. This is one of the deepest and most talented rosters we have ever had. The competition we have in our program has made everyone better, and I am excited to see everyone’s hard work pay off on the court.”

Joliet Township

Coach: Elizabeth Covelli-Reyes

Top returners: Avery Cooper, sr.; Sofia Mancilla, sr.; Emily Trujano, jr.; Mia Kristensen, so.

Key newcomers: Lexi Crandall, so.

Worth noting: Mancilla is a versatile player who plays doubles and singles. Kristensen and Crandall are highly talented. Joliet will need to replace Felicitas Scherer, who made state last year, but there’s a good mix of experience and youth here.

Lemont

Coach: Christopher Hill

Top returners: Maggie Biscan, so.; Natalia Lorenz, jr.; Danielle Fischer, jr.

Key newcomers: N/A

Worth noting: Lemont won its conference last year, and with the trio of Biscan, Lorenz and Fischer back, the team is in a good position to do so again. Biscan was one of the top players in the area as a freshman last year and has a bright future ahead of her. Hill said he believes Lemont will be competitive again this year.

Lincoln-Way Central

Coach: Eric Balluff

Top returners: Kailyn Nakoneczny, sr.

Key newcomers: Sophie Rodil, fr.; Ava Blaze, so.; Avery O’Brien, so

Worth noting: Rodil is just a freshman, but she’ll be taking on the number one singles spot this year, showing how much talent she possesses. O’Brien and Blaze were JV players last year who have put a ton of work in this offseason. Balluff said the Knights graduated 15 seniors from last year, so there will be a heavy youth movement. The JV won its conference last season; however, what the group lacks in experience, it makes up for in potential.

Lincoln-Way East

Coach: William Cooley

Top returners: Audrey Gleason, jr.; Savannah Williams, sr.; Lili Gemmel, sr.; Haley Hahn, sr.; Elise Munoz, sr.; Aerin McCreary, jr.

Key newcomers: Emily Urban, so.; Abby Gierasinski, so.; Gwen McClain, jr.; Tess Leonard, so.; Allison Basile, so.

Worth noting: The Griffins graduated all but two starters from last year’s squad, with Gleason and Williams the only returners. Gleason was 17-6 last season, including an upset win in the conference quarterfinals at No. 3 singles. That was enough to earn Lincoln-Way East a conference title. She will take over the top singles spot now. Williams was 14-8 last season in doubles. Gemmel, Hahn, Munoz and McCreary all earned playing time last year. Despite the youth, Cooley believes this group will continue to compete for the conference and sectional titles. He added, ”I am excited about this team. They have dedicated a lot of time to tennis in the offseason, and they are ready to show the area the depth of the program."

Lincoln-Way West

Coach: John Cupp

Top returners: Grace Cremieux, sr.; Gabby Gentle, sr.; Elle Pruim, sr.

Key newcomers: Charlotte Gauthier, sr.; Kendall Bucci, so.; Chloe Jack, so.; Sarah Ronspies, so.; Delia Verbeek, so.

Worth Noting: Cremieux is a returning state qualifier in doubles. The team won its sectional for the first time in program history last year with graduate Emily Tigchelaar winning the sectional singles title, the first in school history to do so. There will be nine new starters on the squad this season. Cupp believes this year will be dedicated to developing young players and leaning into a “fun and competitive spirit.”

Lockport

Coach: Eric Pontow

Top returners: Meda Bliudziute, sr.; Abi Heintz, sr.

Key newcomers: N/A

Worth noting: Bliudziute was a state qualifier last year in doubles, but will focus on singles this year. Heintz is a team captain and looking to place at conference, sectionals, and possibly even state. This will be Pontow’s first year coaching the team.

Minooka

Coach: Robert Munson

Top returners: Max Phillips-Matia, sr.

Key newcomers: Lacey Chada, jr.; Madelyn Peters, jr.; Juliet Michalesko, jr.; Lydia Michalesko, jr.; Katie Bautista, sr.; Faith Spelde, sr.; Brooke Daurer, jr.; Aspen Daurer, jr.; Brianna Espinoza, sr.; Evelyn Cawthorne, so.

Worth noting: It’s almost an entirely new group for the Indians this year, including at head coach. Phillips-Matia missed qualifying for state by just one match last year and will lead the singles team this year. Everyone else is new to varsity, but the JV won a conference title last season, showing the talent level there. The Michalesko twins plus Chada/Peters should be competitive in the doubles tournaments.

Morris

Coach: Eric Davy

Top returners: Skyler Saelens, sr.; Shreya Patel, sr.; Olivia Novick, sr.; Gianna Marino, sr.; Maddie Hamer, sr.; Molly Passerman, sr.; Milena Mufflers, sr.

Key newcomers: Lorelei Muffler, jr.; Adrienne Cherven, jr.; Vivian Benson, jr.; Emmerson Wheeler, so.; Lyla Conley, so.

Worth noting: Morris won the I-8 last year, but will no longer have the services of All-State doubles player Julia Borgstrom (All-State, 32-5 in doubles) or Meghan Bzdill (22-9). However, Saelens was Borgstrom’s partner and shared that 32-5 record while qualifying for state. She also made state in singles in 2023. Patel made state with Bzdill in 2023 for doubles while going 24-9 in singles last year, making state yet again. So while Morris lost two stars, it brings two back. The other seniors bring experience, while the juniors will compete for doubles spots along with the sophomores.

Plainfield Central

Coach: Gregg Bayer

Top returners: Averie Strawn, jr.; Madie Cervelli, jr.; Emily Dillingham, sr.; Parker Johnson, sr.; Delaney Wrona, sr.; Kiara Burnett, sr.; Aania Baig, sr.

Key newcomers: Rowena Henderson, jr.

Worth noting: There’s a lot of experience on this team, as Strawn was the top singles player last year on the team. Cervelli played both ways while Dillingham and Johnson combined to go 15-11 in doubles. Wrona and Burnett matched up to go 14-11, while Baig was fourth doubles. Henderson was the JV’s best singles player last year. After going 17-4 two years ago, finishing second in conference and sending a doubles team to state two years ago, Plainfield Central went 12-11 last year and sent another doubles team to state. Can they make it three years in a row?

Plainfield East

Coach: Dominic Del Rosario

Top returners: Alice Rodney, sr.

Worth noting: Rodney was the number one player for the Bengals last year and will be joined by six other seniors. Four sophomores will be in the lineup as well, with Del Rosario saying, “I’m excited for the future.”

Plainfield South

Coach: Tom Perrin

Top returners: Micaiah Kelley, sr.; Aurora Thorson, jr.; Caroline Jankowski, sr.; Emily Judd, sr.; Rachel Bailey, sr.; Caity O’Brien, jr.; Chloe Clark, jr.; Emmy Lio, sr.; Shelby Wright, jr.; Raine Flores, sr.; Madelyn Mackey, sr.

Key newcomers: Janelle Bondoc, fr.., Layla Flores, so.; Ashley Samoyoa, sr.; Amber Vuletic, sr.; Lauren Chojnacki, sr.; Angelina Fraley, so.; Katie Alwood, so.

Worth noting: Plainfield South won six dual meets last season, one of its best results in years. Kelley spent time at the top singles spot last season and will battle with Thorson and Bondoc for the one spot this year. Jankowski and Judd will operate the top doubles team, with Perrin believing they’ll be a very competitive group. Perrin added, “I think we should be an improved team this year and hope we can make it to the middle of the conference standings, which would be a great accomplishment. Our girls really took it up a level this summer as far as working on their games. They are a great group that has been fun to coach.”

Providence

Coach: Jaime Prado

Top returners: Grier Milas, sr.; Lilly Pietrzyk, sr.; Eva Ostrowski, sr.

Worth noting: The Celtics have eight seniors leading the rest of the team, which includes two sophomores, Milas and Pietrzyk will lead the singles team with Milas and Ostrowski captaining the team. This is Prado’s seventh year coaching the team.

Romeoville

Coach: George Joyce

Top returners,: Rianne Garcia, sr.; Olivia Labuda, jr.

Key newcomers: Maya Worwa, so.; Esther Junio, so.

Worth noting: Garcia mostly played doubles last year, but she’ll play both singles and doubles this year as a key senior leader for a young group. Labuda led the team in overall victories and will focus on singles with the hope of advancing past the conference tournament. Worwa has looked like a future star for the Spartans, while Junio is showing tremendous promise. It’s year 24 for Joyce, and he admitted the program is in full rebuild mode with the level of youth and inexperience. However, he added that this year’s team should be much improved from the one that finished near the bottom of the conference standings last season.