After going 9-1 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference last season, the Fenwick tennis team isn’t expected to miss a step this year. The only bad news: 2009 conference leader Benet returns all of its varsity players.
One of two doubles teams that competed in the state tournament last season is back for the Friars. Seniors Audrey Kiefer and Christina Janda went on a winning streak late last season that included upsets of two higher-seeded teams at the York Sectional. The duo ended up falling in three sets to Barrington in the single elimination state tournament, which had been moved indoors due to rain. They’re now set to make another run at No. 1 doubles.
The Friars are also bolstered by returners Sheila Mullen and Maggie Saltiel. Mullen placed second last year in conference at No. 3 doubles and Saltiel finished 4th at No. 1 singles.
Juniors Emily Fitzgerald and Nicole Stark join varsity after placing second in conference at No. 2 doubles on the sophomore level last season. There’s a good mix of upperclassmen and newcomers for head coach Gerard Sullivan to pull different lineups together with. Juniors Melinda Morris, Hanna Murdoch and Hailey Vrdolyak, and seniors Megan Frank and Molly Ray are expected to contribute significantly.
Newbies Julia Mastrangeli, Catherine Joss and Mia Sullivan are certain to play major roles this season. Mastrangeli, a sophomore, was the No. 2 singles conference champ on the sophomore team last season and Joss was a part of the No. 1 doubles team that finished runner-up. Sullivan won the No. 1 singles title last year at the sophomore level.
“I see the strength of this team in its competitiveness and work ethic,” said coach Sullivan. “Every player on the team has significantly improved from last year, mostly from hard work during the summer. This is a team that plays aggressively and has no problem with match play every day in practice. They are eager to get the season going just 10 days in, which is where a girls team should be now, but sometimes isn’t the case.”
With Benet the favorite to take the top spot again in the conference, the Friars will likely go toe-to-toe with St. Viator, Carmel and Marist for second place.
On Saturday, the Friars downed Marist 4-1 but fell to Carmel by the same score in a quad. They also defeated Bishop McNamara 5-0.
The Friars travel to the Fremd Invitational on Saturday. They’ll host Nazareth on Sept. 7 at Taylor Park (4:30 p.m.). Fenwick travels to Oak Park on Sept. 8 (4:30 p.m.).