Cammy Frei wasn’t completely satisfied with her play at Prospect’s girls tennis tournament.
New Trier’s No. 1 singles player finished second at the top spot on Saturday, Sept. 26, suffering a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Stevenson’s Zoe Taylor in the championship match.
“I feel OK about my game,” Frei said. “It’s not great, not terrible.”
But Frei has an excuse. For the better part of the season, she’s been traveling around the country visiting colleges. She said she’s been looking at both Division I and Division III programs in hopes of playing tennis in college.
“They were fun trips, but it’s been hectic, missing school, missing practice,” she said. “I’ve had a lot going on. I’m a little rusty right now.”
New Trier assistant coach Sharon Davis said she liked what she saw from Frei in Saturday’s early matches, especially her 6-0, 6-1 win over Oak Park-River Forest’s Hanna Gibson in the second round.
“She looks strong,” Davis said. “She’s playing aggressive, and that’s her style. It’s good to see.”
While Frei attacked the net against Gibson, she doesn’t always do that. She said the match dictated her play. Still, Frei said she’s an offensive player.
“I like to hit winners,” she said. “On bigger points, I am not as aggressive, but I still like to play offense.”
Frei’s loss to Taylor was her second of the season. The first came to Barrington senior Michelle Linden. Both players are candidates for a top-eight seed at the state tournament.
Frei was one of four entries in New Trier’s lineup that took second at Prospect to help the Trevians (65 points) take second out of 16 schools. Stevenson finished first with 81 points. New Trier’s No. 3 doubles team of junior Natalie Kalter and Catherine MacKinnon finished first.
Loyola
Dave Bavlsik said the turning point in Caroline Witkowski’s career came at last season’s state tournament.
That’s when the Loyola coach watched Witkowski, who advanced to the sixth round of the consolation bracket in doubles, play aggressively against the best competition. Bavlsik has seen that carry over to this season.
“She played in some intense matches, and I saw her peak there,” he said. “She’s improved on that this year.”
Now a junior, Witkowski is a leader for Loyola at No. 1 doubles. At Prospect on Saturday, she partnered with sophomore Maggie Hines to finish fourth. The Ramblers tied for fifth with 32 points.
“That state tournament gave me confidence in my game,” Witkowski said.
Witkowski’s regular doubles teammate, freshman Anna Ross, played No. 2 singles at Prospect. The two are expected to reunite this week. It’s a first-year partnership for Witkowski after she played two seasons with her sister, Abby Witkowski, who is now a freshman at Southern Methodist.
“It was really weird at first not playing with Abby,” Caroline Witkowski said. “But I’m really liking playing with Anna. We’ve gradually gotten better.”
Ross is a good fit, according to Caroline Witkowski.
“Anna is powerful at the baseline and has a huge serve,” she said. “I am most comfortable at the net. It works well.”
At Prospect, Caroline Witkowski and Hines advanced to the semifinals before losing to Stevenson’s Vinaya Rao and Katherine Harvey, the defending state champs in doubles. Caroline Witkowski and Hines defaulted in the third-place match.
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But Bavlsik said Hines most likely will go back to No. 1 singles in preparation for the postseason.
“It was good for Maggie to play doubles and good for Anna to play singles,” Bavlsik said. “Doubles will help with Maggie’s net play and her all-court play. It was a good change of pace for her.”
Glenbrook North
The future of the Spartans’ singles lineup seems to be in good hands with Grace Chatas.
A freshman, Chatas finished second at No. 2 singles at Prospect’s tournament on Saturday, Sept. 26, losing to Stevenson’s Dhwani Kumar 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the final. It was the second time Chatas has lost to Kumar this year.
“That was the best I’ve seen her play,” Glenbrook North coach Peggy Holecek said of Chatas’ three matches at the tournament. “Everything was working for her. It was really nice to see her play so well in this competitive field.”
Chatas is playing behind senior Danielle Sokol, a returning state qualifier, in the lineup. Holecek said Chatas, the younger sister of Glenbrook North junior player Caroline Chatas, is a confident player for her age but is willing to be taught.
“She’s smart, and she sees the court well,” said Holecek, whose team finished seventh with 30 points at Prospect. “She’s really good at recognizing the weaknesses in other players. She’s also very coachable and motivated to get better.”
Grace Chatas is 3-0 in the Central Suburban North with two matches remaining. The Spartans, who are undefeated in the league, were scheduled to play Niles North on Tuesday, Sept. 29, before finishing with Maine East on Monday, Oct. 5.
“She has a great attitude and has come on very nicely,” Holecek said. “She told me she will do anything to help the team.”
Twitter: @harnesspreps