Naperville Central girls tennis celebrates its seniors as part of a matchup against Waubonsie Valley in the closing weeks of the DVC season. Both teams battled hard and earned their share of victories, but Waubonsie Valley was able to hang on for the overall team win 4-3. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Wild swings in one singles
At one singles, Kaavya Parameswar from Naperville Central is ready for action against Waubonsie Valley freshman Sahana Dinesh, who is getting her feet under her in her first varsity season.
Parameswar comes out firing with a strong serve, then sends multiple hard forehands to her left side. Dinesh shuffles too far towards the middle, and the Redhawk sees her opening, powering a point over.
Later in the set, Parameswar stays locked in. Dinesh works to keep the ball alive, but again the Redhawk powers a shot through to her left-hand side. The first set goes to Central 6-0.
In the second set, the Warrior completely flips the script. She uses her serve to keep her opponent back and earns a point as the momentum begins to swing.
Dinesh ends up taking the second set 6-0, putting the matchup in a tiebreaker. Parameswar tries to use the power she exhibited in set one, but Dinesh is ready this time. She rips a backhand that lands in play. Her opponent can only applaud as the Warrior completes an impressive comeback, winning the tiebreaker 10-7.
Grace Kistler gets the Redhawks on the board
At two singles, Grace Kistler from Naperville Central takes on another Waubonsie freshman, Jaya Kumar from Waubonsie.
The opening set features several good rallies with each player sending returns over on repeat. Eventually, Kumar rockets a forehand that bounces late, and Kistler is unable to pick it off the low bounce, giving the Warrior the point.
But Kistler plays with veteran savvy, focusing on making returns and forcing her opponent into mistakes. In set two, Kumar thinks she has a lob ready for a smash, but she gets overeager and finds the net. Kistler wins in straight sets 6-1, 6-1.
Wrapping up the singles matches is Myrna Jamal from Waubonsie Valley against Sophie Nguyen from Central in another competitive showdown at three singles.
The Redhawk earns an early point with each player working hard. Jamal runs around the court to fire her returns as Nguyen sends the ball right back. As the Warrior walks back, she reaches out for another return, but pushes the ball into the net.
Jamal shows her quickness and stamina later in the set. Nguyen has her chasing the ball all across the court, but the Warrior continues to track it down. She sprints towards the net and underhands a ball that the Redhawk tries to then pop over her head, but it lands a few inches out of play.
After winning set one, Jamal puts it away with a spinning shot into the back corner that evades Nguyen’s racquet. After a tough battle, the Warrior takes the win 6-4, 6-3.
Warriors take control in one doubles
The doubles division takes its turn with Rina Xu and Ariya Ashok from Naperville Central against Devi Rao and Aditi Yalamati from Waubonsie Valley.
In the first set, Xu serves in the far court. Ashok gets a lob up high, and the Warriors find the net when going for the smash as the opening set stays tight.
Late in the set, Waubonsie hopes to build an advantage. Rao and Ashok trade a rally until a lob from Xu goes over the net. Yalamati is ready as she moves towards the net and slices a shot near the sidelines that lands for the point.
After winning the first set 6-3, the Warriors are clicking on all cylinders in set two. Xu and Yalamati rally before Rao jumps in and splits the court. Waubonsie adds another win in one doubles 6-3, 6-0.
Redhawks rally in two doubles
Naperville Central seeks to salvage two doubles, where a tough pairing of Chloe Cochran and Kerri Gaur from Waubonsie squares off against Shavi Wijesinghe and Anushka Anand.
With the Redhawks serving in the far court, Cochran sends several hard returns over as she and Gaur creep towards the net. Wijesinghe flips a lob high in the air, which lands over the Warriors and stays in bounds for a clutch point.
Despite falling 6-3 in the first set, the Warriors regroup with good teamwork. Cochran follows up a serve from Gaur with a well-placed shot that deflects in the front corner for a quick point.
Flipping sides, Waubonsie again plays with aggression. Cochran sends the initial return to Shavi. Gaur then waits at the net and calmly taps a return to the open court as the Warriors take the lead.
Waubonsie takes the team victory
But the Redhawks dig deep and take a 6-5 lead. Anand makes a great quick return at the net, out of reach of the Warriors, to earn the two doubles win for the home team. After an exciting afternoon, Waubonsie Valley hangs on for the 4-3 team victory.
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