The fall girls tennis season in the Naperville area always brings out some of the top competitors in the state. This preview is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
Neuqua Valley Girls Tennis
We begin with one of the top tennis teams from last fall with a great chance to repeat as conference and sectional champions, Neuqua Valley. The Wildcats did lose their number one doubles team of graduating seniors, Abigail Allen and Emiley Piao, who won the DVC and Lockport sectional doubles titles. However, Neuqua will likely still be the team to beat as the top two singles players are back with Emily Chiao and Hannah Kestenberg returning for their senior campaigns. Tanisha Aggarwal and Victoria Yin are also returning seniors, who will likely bump up to the top doubles spot after finishing as sectional runners up last fall. That’s a lot of talent ready to finish their careers on a high note for Coach Rose, and improve on a 12th place team finish at state last season.
Benet Academy Girls Tennis
Our next team finished in 15th place at state and also won both a conference and sectional team championship. Benet Academy is always ready to challenge the state’s top competition and the Redwings have another exciting squad rolling into the fall. BA will have to reload the doubles division after the graduation of decorated seniors Kaitlyn Lee and Felicity Kolb as well as Claire Converse. ESCC Hall of Fame Head Coach Michael Hand likes to experiment with doubles and singles matchups to prepare for the post season, and he will have plenty of talented options with Claire Lopatka, Meredith Converse and Shane Delaney all back as sophomores with state tournament experience now under their belts.
Naperville Central Girls Tennis
Naperville Central only had one state qualifier in 2021, but oh what an impact she made. As a freshman, Sofia Olaru burst onto the scene, winning the DVC and Benet Academy sectional singles championships, before eventually making all the way to the consolation semifinals at the state meet. Ami Patel and Kira Yang return for their junior seasons while seniors Mira Patel and Giana Xiao round out the top double rotation. There will be plenty of strong competition to replace Nathra Ramrajvel as the number two singles player. Coach Alyssa Girgis will have her squad ready to challenge for the top of the DVC and raise that number of state qualifiers in 2022.
Naperville North Girls Tennis
Naperville North is another group that could see themselves challenging for the conference crown this season. The Huskies were buoyed by their outstanding doubles play last fall, led by the freshman duo of Brooke Coffman and Gabby Lee, who won the Benet sectional and earned All-State selections. Calli Genovese and Tiffany Chang also qualified for state, but have since been lost to graduation, as have the twin duos of Simran and Anaya Desai and Kinjal and Keya Trivedi, so the doubles division will look very different for Coach Heather Henrickson. Aaryana Parekah and Dheera Prattipati served as the one and two singles players in 2021 for the blue and orange, with Parekah earning All-Conference honors. Having the pair back provides promise and stability for the Huskies heading into the season.
Waubonsie Valley Girls Tennis
Waubonsie Valley did not have any state qualifiers in 2021, however the Warriors were able to lay a foundation for what will hopefully be a successful squad this year. Despite losing valuable depth to graduation, Phil Galow, who enters his 40th season as head coach, brings back his top two singles players and top doubles teams. The Srinivasan twins, Aanika and Isha return for their junior seasons as a doubles duo as do Shriya Kota and Sophia Parranto. After an All Conference Special Mention selection, Talya Ertas is back for her senior season while number two singles player Richa Kapoor is back for her junior year. Following a 1-6 start to the season, the Warriors finished the regular season 9-9 as the young group found its footing. The combination of talent and experience could see the Warriors with one of their strongest seasons in several years in 2022.
Metea Valley Girls Tennis
The Mustangs of Metea Valley are in a very similar spot to Waubonsie Valley. No state qualifiers a year ago, but the black and gold also bring back both their top singles and doubles performers. Sangita Siva and Sarina Saleem both started as singles players last fall, before teaming up for doubles later in the season, eventually finishing in second at the DVC tournament. Meanwhile, Alisha Arya and Harsha Garigasani began as the one doubles pairing, before ending the season as singles players. Meanwhile, Manasa Nekkanti and Sophie Cahue also played singles before matchup up as number two doubles later in the year. That’s just the nature of the high school tennis season as head coach Cole Klousing works to find the best matchups to lead to success. The 2022 campaign should be an exciting one all across the area with so many teams and athletes well positioned to make the marks on the hardcourt.
Check out the other previews here!
