Girls Varsity Tennis season comes to a close

Girls varsity tennis has showcased their hours of hard work over the course of the past two months with impressive records and skill being shown since weeks before school started. Although the stormy weather hindered the conference match from being played, they finished the season strong this past weekend at Lyons Township for the sectionals match.

With a season record of 21 wins and 7 losses, some important highlights include their first match at Jacobs High School, their earning of the first place spot at the Buffalo Grove Invite, and their multiple sweeps such as a home match against Maine South (8-0) and Downers Grove North (7-0).

“This season has been great so far, but a highlight was our first match (at Jacobs),” team captain Jacki Riek said. “My doubles partner, [Aleksina Jovic], and I played really great and we definitely got a sense of where we’re going for the rest of the season.”

Riek has been playing for York’s Varsity Tennis team for all four years of her high school career.  Alongside Eva Jacobsthal and Isabella Nicoli, the three captains have helped the team find success through their leadership.

“York girls tennis is not a team to mess with,” team captain Isabella Nicoli said. “We are all hard-working, kind, good spirited, and driven individuals. These are the people I want to be surrounded by.”

Nicoli and her doubles partner, Eva Jacobsthal, made an appearance at sectionals this past weekend. The top 6 varsity players have the opportunity to compete at sectionals and then possibly advance to state.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Courtesy of Stuart Rodgers

Juniors Rachel Kayman and Michaela Neidigh high five during a doubles match at Berens park.

“Eva and I always gave 100% and worked through the tough matches,” Nicoli said. “That’s exactly what we did – we fought for every point. Even though we didn’t make it to state, we enjoyed putting in the work to make it a possibility.”

Riek and her doubles partner, junior Aleksina Jovic, played the number one doubles spot, a prestigious placement to have on the varsity level. They competed well at the sectionals match, making it to the final round, but eventually losing to Hinsdale South.

“We weren’t happy about losing, but Hinsdale had a solid doubles team,” Jovic said. “We had to play one of our matches indoors because of the rain, but then we were moved back outside and played our match in the freezing cold, which was definitely something we were not used to.”

Although these unexpected challenges were disappointing, one singles player, junior Melissa Cartis, did qualify for state. This will be her second year playing at state level.

“My first two matches [for qualifying] were winnable for me because of my record this season, […] my semifinal match was decent, as I lost to a girl from Hinsdale Central who recently committed to a D1 college to play – it was a very competitive match,” Cartis said. “I’m very happy to have won my third place match.”

Cartis has had an extremely successful season and tennis career in general. She has started to compete with players ranked inside the top 200 nationally while continuously setting goals for herself to improve.

“I have confidence for my upcoming national tournaments as a result of the season,” Cartis said. “My goal for state is to get ‘all state’ and to make it as far as possible.”

While Cartis will be advancing to state, the remainder of the team has concluded their season. Multiple factors have contributed to this successful season, a major one being the three varsity coaches, Coach Heimann, along with Brian Brigman and Tom Riek, who are both York parents.

“My coaches and team for sure. We have three awesome varsity coaches,” Riek said when asked about what she thinks has brought them success this season. “The three of them know the way [we] play and they give really great advice!”

Along with the coaches, the captains and seniors have contributed to the camaraderie and spirit of the team, preserving traditions and fun throughout the season.

“I love spending time with the whole team and am so sad that 13 of our seniors are leaving us,” Jovic said.

While the team certainly knows how to get in a competitive mindset, they were able to enjoy themselves and bond with each other plenty this season. A few mentioned the pasta parties hosted on Friday nights before Saturday invites, as well as other team bonding events, as the highlights of their seasons.

“Surprisingly, the bus rides have been one of the most fun parts about this year for me,” senior and team captain Eva Jacobsthal said. “Every Saturday when we would have to travel out far for our matches, we would always get bagels and listen to music together while doing funny things to pass the time.”

With a positive community and hard work, the girls finished the season with a striking record and a state competitor. This leaves the underclassmen hungry for success next year, and the seniors with memories of their time on the team.

“My final tennis season at York was bittersweet. While I am relieved to finally have a break from all of the long practices and [the] busy match schedule, I still feel very sad about leaving my amazing teammates and coaches,” Jacobsthal said.

With this season being the final one for a portion of the team, many of the seniors have reflected and made it clear that York Tennis has made a lasting effect on their high school experience.

“The game itself can be super competitive and mentally tough– but I’ve always loved a challenge,” Riek said. “Through York Tennis, I’ve learned that tennis can bring people together and playing for the Dukes has definitely made the game a lot more meaningful for me.”

Congrats on your hard work and success this year, York Girls Varsity Tennis, and good luck to Melissa Cartis at state!