Long before they became teammates on Lyons’ girls tennis team, Andjelija Bozovic and Stefana Vasic were childhood friends through their Serbian-born parents.
Bozovic recalled that she was 11 years old when Vasic tagged her with the nickname that has stuck ever since. When Vasic struggled to pronounce Bozovic’s first name, she began calling her Jelly. The name stuck when Bozovic’s mother, Nada, started referring to her by that.
Lyons placed fourth in the state tournament Saturday, Oct. 24, with 25 points, two behind New Trier and a trophy. Lyons’ success was primarily due to the senior doubles team of Vasic and Lahari Yelamanchili, who placed fifth by beating New Trier’s Michelle Capone and Catherine MacKinnon. Vasic took fourth in last year’s state meet with partner Megan Hickey.
Bozovic was Lyons’ top singles player, finishing 4-2, and was eliminated in the consolation quarterfinals by Niles North’s Michelle Bacalla. The junior’s first loss was 6-2, 6-1 to Hinsdale Central junior Isabella Lorenzini, the eventual state champion.
“I did pretty well even in the consolation to get myself back,” Bozovic said. “I was pretty surprised when I played Bella. It was a good match, a tight match, but she really stepped it up.”
Bozovic and Lorenzini did not meet in the West Suburban Silver meet because Lorenzini was on a recruiting trip.
Marathon match
No area player endured a longer match in the first round than Leyden sophomore Jessica Minkov. Minkov came out on the losing end of a 3-hour, 40-minute match against Kylie McCarthy of Troy Triad at Barrington. McCarthy won 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (14-12). McCarthy had five match-point opportunities and Minkov had four.
“I’ve had long matches, but not this long for my high school career,” said Minkov, a sophomore from Schiller Park.
Minkov, who started playing tennis at age 9 with her father Ivan, couldn’t bounce back from her state opener. She lost her next match against Lincoln’s Kena Bere 6-3, 6-3. For the second consecutive year, Minkov was Leyden’s only state qualifier. She was 1-2 as a freshman.
“I’ve definitely improved mentally and physically. I’ve still got a lot to learn,” Minkov said. “I’m proud of myself the way I played.”
All in the family
Senior Maya Trinka became the third member of her family to wrap up her tennis career at Oak Park-River Forest. Trinka went 2-2 at doubles with Audrey Angelos.
Maya Trinka’s brother Luke finished fourth at state doubles in 2010 and Tess Trinka was the state runner-up at doubles in 2013 with Taylor Arends.
There is one more Trinka tennis player coming up, younger brother Mark, who is a seventh-grader at Brooks Middle School.
More Top Picks Best E Ink Tablets For Reading
While her older siblings are currently playing tennis for Bowdoin in Brunswick, Maine, Maya Trinka, a two-time state qualifier, said she doesn’t plan on following them.
Her best sport might be badminton, which her mother Bernadette suggested trying when she was a freshman. Maya Trinka went 2-2 in last year’s state badminton meet.
“I like that no one else in the family does it,” Maya Trinka said.
Famous name
One other family that ended its era at state tennis was the Petrovics of Burr Ridge.
Nazareth senior Juliana Petrovic went 2-2 at doubles with senior Mary Mullarkey, a La Grange resident. Their first loss of the tournament came against OPRF’s Angelos and Trinka, 6-0, 6-2. Petrovic and Mullarkey finished 19-7.
“(State) was very exciting. It was definitely a lot of fun. There was not too much pressure,” Petrovic said.
Four years earlier, her sister Alexia Petrovic became the state runner-up at doubles with Alysa Straub. Alexia Petrovic had the best career of any Nazareth girls tennis player before graduating in 2014. Currently playing at Utah, Alexia Petrovic is Nazareth’s only four-time state medalist.
Pleasant surprise
Fenwick’s doubles team of Haley Fakouri and Laura Gutierrez finished second at sectionals, then went 5-2 at state to reach the consolation quarterfinals. Fakouri, a sophomore from Burr Ridge, and Gutierrez, a senior from Cicero, first became partners this season at the Oak Park-River Forest Sectional.
During the season, Fakouri had a different doubles partner, while Gutierrez played singles. They are good friends and have played doubles in pick-up games against their brothers, John Fakouri, a seventh grader, and Carlos Gutierrez, a freshman at Fenwick.
The girls said they do not always win. Carlos Gutierrez is 6-foot tall and gives the boys a height advantage.
“We’re used to each other and picked it up pretty fast (at the sectional),” Fakouri said. “We get together in the offseason for some hitting.”
Top dogs
York’s No. 1 doubles team of seniors Abby Brigman and Alex Hennessy had a successful outing at the state meet by finishing 3-2 and advancing to the fourth round of the consolation bracket.
“I thought Abby and Alex played their best tennis of the season at the state tournament,” York coach Tres Heimann said. “They complemented each other very well throughout the year and ended on a high note.”
Twitter @geomwilcox