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Southwest Prairie Conference
Joliet Township
Coach: Elizabeth Covelli-Reyes (first season)
Top returners: Sophia Baltz, sr.; Lucy Offerman, sr.; Leah Villagomez, sr.; Cam Gray, sr.; Shradha Verma, sr. Ella Randich, sr.; Ellen Johnson, sr.; Erin Winke. sr.; Alih Rangel, jr.
Key newcomers: Jaylene Orozco, jr.
Worth noting: Covelli-Reyes takes over a program with several experienced players returning, including Baltz at No. 1 singles. Offerman and Rangel will pair up at No. 1 doubles, while Gray and Verma are expected to be the No. 2 doubles team. “Every girl has made impressive progress in just 2.5 weeks together and I am seeing a major change in their plays on court, strategy when hitting and just their overall confidence,” Covelli-Reyes said. “I am very excited for our upcoming season with such a large group of seniors.”
Minooka
Coach: Trevor Shields (fourth season)
Top returners: Emma Deitz, sr. Jayla Morales, sr.; Ashlyn Reade, jr.
Key newcomers: Jocelyn Morales, jr.
Worth noting: Minooka has a veteran team with 12 seniors on the roster. Deitz and Jayla Morales played No. 2 doubles last season and will be the No. 1 doubles pair this year. Reade makes the same move in singles, going from the No. 2 spot as a sophomore in 2022 to the No. 1 singles position as a junior. Jocelyn Morales, Jayla’s younger sister, is expected to make an impact in doubles in her first season on varsity. “We have a core group of athletes who are returning for their junior and senior years,” Shields said. “The program overall is growing, which is really great to see for the future. As a varsity squad, our goal is to compete for the top three in the SPC.”
Plainfield Central
Coach: Gregg Bayer (16th season)
Last season’s record: 16-8, 6-4
Top returners: Elizabeth Egly, sr.; Kelly Michel, sr.; Alexandra Valadez, sr.; Rebecca Linko, jr.; Hannah Linko, jr.
Worth noting: The Wildcats return eight varsity players from last season and hope the experience pays off this season. Egly, Michel and Valadez are senior leaders, while the Linko twins - Rebecca and Hannah - make for a strong doubles team. They are one of two sets of twins on the team, also including seniors Arianna and Ellianna Gashi. “Our goals are to try to place in the top four of a tough SPC conference and be playing our best tennis at the end of the season as we approach conference/sectional time,” Bayer said.
Plainfield East
Coach: Dominic Del Rosario (second season)
Top returners: Alice Rodney, so.
Key newcomers: DiMora Shelton, so.
Worth noting: Rodney played No. 1 singles as a freshman last season and had success, going 18-13 and earning all-conference honors. Shelton, who also plays basketball, is a newcomer to tennis, and Del Rosario is excited about her athleticism and how quickly she is picking up the sport. “Last year was a tough season, there’s nowhere to go but up,” Del Rosario said. “So, we have a plan to hit as many balls as possible, get more repetitions in all aspects of the game and simulate match play in practice.”
Plainfield North
Coach: Jake Tudorica (first season)
Last season’s record: 10-0 in SPC
Top returners: Jessica Kovalcik, jr.; Belle Wang, jr.; Thea Salcedo, jr.; Riley McLellan, sr.
Key newcomers: Ava Fleming, sr.; Makenzie McEwan, so.; Addison Dell’Aquila, so.; Addi Conrad, jr.; Pahal Mehra, sr.; Riley McLellan, sr.; Meredith Posont, sr.; Amy Clairmont, sr.
Worth noting: Tudorica takes over as coach and inherits quite a roster, led by Kovalcik, the Class 2A singles state runner-up in 2022. Kovalcik finished third in the state in 2021, took one step up last season and is hoping to complete the climb to the top. Salcedo was a state qualifier in doubles last season and looks to get back with her new partner, McEwan. Wang moves from doubles to No. 2 singles this year, while McClellan and Mehra and Dell’Aquila and Conrad are promising doubles teams. “I am very excited for this season,” Tudorica said. “I believe that we will perform beautifully in our conference and perhaps have some state qualifiers.”
Plainfield South
Coach: Tom Perrin
Last season’s record: 1-23
Top returners: Molly Stephens, sr.; Julia Rozalowski, sr.; Isabella Strutman, sr.; Mia Martin, sr.; Ilanna Lucheck, sr.; Michelle Flores, sr.; Ally Hurd, sr.
Key newcomers: Gabi Mardula, jr.; Lana Stein, sr.; Mia Montello, sr.; Sophia Sanchez, sr.
Worth noting: The Cougars have 49 players in the program, nearly double the number they had last year. With many of them new to the sport, Perrin is anxious to see how they develop. Meanwhile, there are several experienced seniors on the roster, with Stephens looking to lead the way in singles and the doubles team of Martin and Lucheck showing potential. “I think we’ll be improved this season,” Perrin said. “We have a great group of seniors and some promising freshmen and sophomores. My expectation is that we’ll improve throughout the season and might surprise some people.”
Romeoville
Coach: George Joyce (21st season)
Top returners: Isabella Kovas, sr.; Alicja Noga, sr.; Samira Gallardo jr.
Key newcomers: Imran Azzizi, jr.
Worth noting: The Spartans had a small squad last year that struggled to compete, but the entire group is back this year and the program has bolstered its numbers, providing optimism. Kovas is expected to play No. 1 singles, while Noga will likely see time at both singles and doubles. Azzizi is a key addition as a doubles player. “Our team is looking to make great progress this year as we had no graduating seniors last year,” Joyce said. “Each member of the team is excited to see where we can go this season and we are certainly optimistic about what we can accomplish.”
East Suburban Catholic Conference
Joliet Catholic
Coach: Tyler Eakle (seventh season)
Top returners: Callie Streitz, sr.; Ashley Murray, sr.
Key newcomers: Megan Ardaugh, so.
Worth noting: Streitz finished in the top 16 in doubles at the Class 1A state meet last year with her now-graduated partner Ally McCarthy. Murray was just one win shy of qualifying for state in doubles with her former partner Genevieve Darley. This year, Streitz and Murray will team up and look to make a run at state. Ardaugh is a newcomer with big expectations. “We have a lot of depth and can use a lot of different lineups,” Eakle said. “I hope to finish top three in our conference this year as well as qualify for state again.”
SouthWest Suburban Conference
Lincoln-Way East
Coach: Wes Cooley
Top returners: Vanessa Teodoro, sr.; Madi Williams, sr.
Key newcomers: Hannah Tokarski, jr.; Mackenzie Lehan, so.
Worth noting: The Griffins won a sectional championship and finished 19th in Class 2A at state last season and are looking for more success with a new lineup. Teodoro won a sectional doubles title and had two victories at state in 2022 with Ava Shafer, who graduated. Williams was a state qualifier as a freshman before missing the last two seasons due to injuries and is set to return healthy and ready to chase another state trip. Cooley feels Tokarski and Lehan are ready to make big impacts in their varsity debuts. “I feel like there has been a resurgence of tennis in the area and many of our local matches will be super close this year,” Cooley said. “It’s going to be an interesting season.”
Lincoln-Way West
Coach: John Cupp (eighth season)
Last season’s record: 13-7
Top returners: Eva Kubilius, sr.; Ella Nichols, sr.
Key newcomers: Holly Kaiser, sr.; Terri Stigter, sr.; Emily Tigchelaar, jr.; Lily Kulhan, jr.
Worth noting: Kubilius and Nichols are looking to step up as seniors and lead a team that is filled with varsity newcomers. The Warriors finished second in the SouthWest Suburban Red last season and are hoping to reload in order to contend in the division again. “Our program is full of hardworking players and we expect their skill and competitive approach to tennis to grow throughout the season,” Cupp said.
Lockport
Coach: Bob Champlin
Last season’s record: 12-8
Top returners: Martyna Kalinowska, sr.; Patricia Jurzyk, sr.; Bre Schultz, sr.; Jessica Ing, sr.
Worth noting: Kalinowska and Schultz won three matches as a doubles team at the Class 2A state meet last season. Kalinowska and Jurzyk are two-time state qualifiers and both are continuing a family tradition as they each had older siblings who were state qualifiers. Kalinowska, Jurzyk, Schultz and Ing are all four-year varsity members who will lead the way as the Porters look to improve on 2022′s second-place finish in the SouthWest Suburban Conference and third-place showing at sectionals. “With good preparation, we hope to have some of that continual success this season,” Champlin said.
Girls Catholic Athletic Conference
Providence Catholic
Coach: Jaime Prado (fifth season)
Top returners: Ema Szum, jr.
Key newcomers: Reagan Sincak, jr.; Grier Milas, so.
Worth noting: After the graduation of state-qualifying singles player Gianna Cox, the Celtics are looking for Sincak and Milas to have bright futures. Szum had some success in doubles last season.
Interstate 8 Conference
Morris
Coach: Eric Davy (seventh season)
Top returners: Julia Borgstrom, jr.; Shreya Patel, so.; Meghan Bzdill, jr.
Key newcomers: Ava Conley, so.; Skyler Saelens, so.
Worth noting: Borgstrom played No. 2 singles last season and won 15 matches. After the graduation of 2022 state qualifier Gretchen Zarbock, Borgstrom will move up to No. 1 singles. Patel and Bzdill have a year of experience as a doubles team and will move up to No. 1 doubles spot this season. Conley and Saelens are expected to be the No. 2 doubles team after having success together on the junior varsity team last year. “I look for this young bunch to be competitive every night,” Davy said. “After the team worked hard in the offseason attending various camps and local workouts, we have set some lofty goals,” Davy said. “Winning conference and spending two days at sectionals would cap off a successful season.”