Naperville Central girls tennis playing host to Neuqua Valley with both teams hoping to improve to 2-0 in the early DuPage Valley Conference season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
3 Singles
We begin with number three singles. Zara Khan competing for Neuqua Valley in this spot with Naperville Central freshman Amy Yang stepping in for the Redhawks.
Amy Yang with an early lead in the opening set. Both players set up near the back line before forcing each other to move around the court a bit. After a long rally, Yang just slices a shot with a ton of backspin that stops in its tracks once the ball hits the court. Nicely done as the Redhawk takes the point.
In the second set, Khan gives her opponent a taste of her own medicine with a quick backhand that spins away from Yang. The Wildcat sophomore goes on to win the matchup in a tiebreaker.
2 Singles
Now over to second singles as Madalyn Finke from Neuqua faces another Naperville Central freshman, Claire Cameron.
Cameron serving in the far court, but Finke catches her off guard with a sharp return that is well placed in bounds near the back line.
However, the young Redhawk regroups and closes things out in set two with an ace. Cameron takes the win in straight sets.
1 Singles
Now over to number one singles where Sophia Chiou from Neuqua Valley has the tough task of facing Naperville Central sophomore sensation Sofia Olaru.
Olaru won the 2021 DVC singles championship over Sophia’s older sister Emily, but now she gets to experience playing the Redhawk first hand. She’s hanging tough here, trying to stay alive before unleashing a strong shot near the corner. The young Wildcat gets the point.
However Olaru can just be so overpowering, especially when she is getting her serves in. Chiou does her best to make returns until Olaru rockets a forehand down the line to secure the two set win 6-0, 6-1.
One Doubles
Moving on to doubles with the number one matchup. Giana Xiao and Mira Patel from Central taking on the newly formed doubles duo of Emily Chiou and Hannah Kestenberg representing the blue and gold.
The Wildcats seem to be clicking well and finding their chemistry as here Emily Chiou charges in for the smash to take the point.
Chiou now serving in the near court and she goes back and forth with Xiao. One of the returns goes low and Kestenberg pops it up, Mira Patel then hammers one down the line for the nice point.
Patel serving now and goes back and forth with Kestenberg until the Wildcat pushes one the other way that kisses the back line for the point. The NV duo is fired up as they take the win 6-1, 6-1.
Two Doubles
Central won three doubles, while Neuqua took four doubles, so the team victor will be decided by number two doubles where Redhawks Ami Patel and Kira Yang face Wildcats Victoria Yin and Tanisha Aggarwal.
Yin and Aggarwal were state qualifiers at two doubles a season ago for Neuqua so they have that chemistry already built in as we see Victoria Yin get the point on the smash.
Later in the first set and off the Yang serve, it’s basically a carbon copy just with the teams flipped as Ami Patel gets the point on the smash.
However the Wildcats are able to regroup and seize control from there. Victoria Yin makes a return that crosses up the Redhawks and Neuqua takes the win 6-2, 6-3 and goes on to win as a team as well by a 4-3 score.
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