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La Salle-Peru
Coach: Aaron Guenther
Top returners: Kaylie Reese, sr.; Elena Leone, jr.; Kylee Halm, jr.
Key newcomers: Grace Pecchio, jr.; Izzy Pecchio, jr.; Cali Mickley, jr.; Raleigh Leininger, jr.; Eva Cervantes, jr.; Ella Kamke, sr.
Worth noting: L-P lost two-time NewsTribune Girls Tennis Player of the Year Carlie Miller, but Guenther said the 2023 Cavaliers are “a super deep team” and “may be one of the more evenly balanced teams I’ve ever coached,” so lineup spots are up in the air. Reese went 26-16 as part of L-P’s No. 2 doubles team last season, winning the Interstate 8 Conference title and qualifying for state. Leone and Halm were 14-16 and placed second in conference as L-P’s No. 3 doubles team. Kamke is returning from an injury, while Grace and Izzy Pecchio, Mickey, Leininger and Cervantes all contributed on the freshman/sophomore team last fall. “All the girls on the team have the ability to play both singles and doubles, which is nice because it gives us some lineup flexibility,” Guenther said. Guenther is looking for the Cavs to compete in the conference and qualify players for state. “There are a lot of returning players in our conference, so we are hoping to finish in the top half as a team,” Guenther said. “Individually, it would be nice to see Reese return to state and bring some teammates with her.”
St. Bede
Coach: Jill Urban-Bollis
Top returners: Rubi De La Torrie, sr.; Ella Englehaupt, sr.; Jeanna Ladzinski, sr.; Olivia Orteza, sr.; Madalyn Dittmar, jr.; Genavyve Barnes, jr.
Key newcomers: Georgina Guo, fr.
Worth noting: The Bruins lost nine players to graduation but do return six players with experience. Guo is expected to make an impact in her first high school season. “She will make her debut for SBA but she first stepped on the courts years ago in the Peru Tennis Recreation Program with strong skills,” Urban-Bollis said. St. Bede’s singles players are yet to be decided. “Our plan is to build on the fundamentals, explore options and provide opportunities to challenge each other to be the best each can be as a team,” Urban-Bollis said. “I can definitely see these players coming together, supporting each other and doing the best they can to have a successful season.” Englehaupt and Guo along with De La Torre and Ladzinski are potential doubles teams. “I can already see good chemistry and positive communication building within players,” Urban-Bollis said.
Mendota
Coach: Shawn LeRette
Top returners: Ella Lewis, so.; Natalia Salinas, sr.; Mariah Figueroa, sr.; Lauren Holland, jr.; Jackie Flores, jr.; Lidia Hernandez, jr.
Key newcomers: Lilly Bokus, jr.; Ava Beetz, jr.; Kylie Goldblatt, so.; Leah Stamberger, so.
Worth noting: The Trojans return several experienced players and also have some newcomers who are expected to make an impact. Lewis was 10-15 as the team’s No. 1 singles player last fall, while Salinas was 15-15 at No. 2 singles. Lewis and Salinas will both play singles this season and LeRette said they “will be battling for the top spot all year.” Figueroa, Holland, Flores, Hernandez, Bokus, Beetz, Goldblatt and Stamberger will all be in the mix for doubles. “We are very young so I am hoping we improve throughout the season and are playing our best tennis at the end of the year,” LeRette said. “Our singles may have to carry us early in the season, but by the end of the year, I think we will have some very competitive doubles teams.”
Princeton
Coach: Connie Lind
Top returners: Emilee Merkel, jr.; Nora Schneider, jr.; Katie Kammerer, sr.; Kambri Fisher, sr.; Erah Goodale, sr.; Josie Leone, sr.
Key newcomers: Caitlin Meyer, sr.; Abby Brown, sr.
Worth noting: The Tigresses return an experienced roster with five players returning to the varsity lineup. Merkel is moving up to No. 1 singles after playing No. 2 the last two seasons, while Leone steps in at No. 2 singles after filling in at singles when needed last season. Schneider returns to No. 1 doubles where she will partner with Fisher, who played No. 2 doubles last fall. Kammerer will once again play No. 2 doubles and will play with Goodale moving up from No. 3. Meyer and Brown have returned to the tennis team and will play No. 3 doubles. They played tennis as freshmen during the COVID year before playing volleyball then last two years. “(Our goals are) every time the girls take the court they play hard and have fun,” Lind said. “It’s always nice to finish the season above .500.”