October 31, 2024
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Boys tennis preview: Ottawa, Streator both look young but talented in 2024

Pirates, Bulldogs both heading toward L-P Sectional

By J.T. Pedelty
Ottawa’s Noah Gross returns the ball as doubles teammate Adam Gross (left) looks on during the Class 1A Boys State Tennis Meet at Hoffman Estates High School on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

Ottawa’s Noah Gross returns the ball during the 2023 Class 1A Boys State Tennis Finals. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

With the season freshly underway, here is a look at the 2024 Streator and Ottawa high school boys tennis teams.

Ottawa

Coach: Matt Gross (24th season)

Last season: Interstate 8 regular-season champions, sectional runners-up

Top returning players: Alan Sifuentes, sr.; Noah Gross, jr.

Top newcomers: Collin Olszewski, jr.; Ayden Sexton, so.; Eli Jeppson, fr.; Evan Krafft, so.; Landon Sawin, jr.; Tucker Ditchfield, jr.; Caden Walter, jr.; Kaden Araujo, so.; Ethan Farr, jr.

Worth noting: “We hope to be difficult to play and plan to be very consistent,” coach Matt Gross said of his mostly young roster led by a couple veterans. “I am looking forward to the guys improving throughout the season so that when the postseason arrives, we are playing our best tennis.” Sifuentes and Noah Gross are those veterans and a great place to start, both accomplished in doubles play. Last season, Sifuentes was part of Ottawa’s conference championship No. 3 doubles team, while Noah Gross was a doubles sectional champion and state qualifier playing alongside his now-graduated brother, Adam. Where the two proven veterans fit best and how things fill in around them will be a work in progress, but expect everyone to get opportunities to pitch in toward the team’s success. “Our lineup is a pretty fluid situation, despite being able to be outside 11 of the first 13 days of the season,” Matt Gross said. “In order for us to be successful this season, we are going to need everyone contributing. ... Our youth is a strength.” Schedule highlights for the Pirates include the April 6 Ottawa Doubles Invitational, the Ottawa Invitational April 20, the I-8 Conference Meet on May 11 and the IHSA sectional held May 17 and 18 in La Salle.

Streator’s Ryan Beck competes in a singles match against Ottawa on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at Streator High School.

Streator’s Ryan Beck competes in a singles match last season. (Tom Sistak)

Streator

Coach: Rob Beck (11th season over two tenures)

Last season: 8-12-1 dual record

Top returning players: Ryan Beck, jr.; Brenden Christensen, sr.; Quinn Baker, sr.; Delroy Jones, jr.; Izak Gallik, sr.

Top newcomers: Clayton Lehman, jr.; Liam Martin, jr.

Worth noting: Third-year varsity standout Ryan Beck seems to be a lock at the No.1 singles position after an excellent sophomore campaign that saw him excel throughout and ultimately earn a No. 5 seed in a stacked sectional field that featured one-two finishers from powerhouse Metamora. Martin and Lehman saw limited time on varsity last season but seem likely to team up regularly this spring at No. 2 or 3 doubles. The remainder of the returners “all have a chance of playing either singles or doubles on a daily basis,” coach Rob Beck said. Last year’s team exceeded expectations despite being young, and this year’s Bulldogs are aiming to continue that trend. “With very little varsity experience last year, they had a great season and reached all of our preseason goals,” Rob Beck said. “We are still a very young team. Our goal this year is to, of course, improve our overall team record. We want to put ourselves in a position all season long to be playing for a sectional title [like Ottawa, at the Class 1A La Salle-Peru Sectional]. We believe even though we are considered a young team, that we compete with every team we play this year because we have a lot of varsity experience.”

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