ALGONQUIN — Familiarity sometimes works to your advantage.
It sure worked for Barrington junior Emily Yoon at Saturday’s Class 2A Jacobs sectional in Algonquin.
Yoon defeated teammate Caitlin Kavanaugh, 6-4, 6-2, to claim the singles championship.
It is the Barrington junior’s first advancement to the state meet. The top four singles and doubles finishers advance to the state meet hosted by Buffalo Grove and held at several schools in the Northwest suburbs.
The meet starts Thursday, continues Friday and concludes with the finals on Saturday.
“It is hard to play Caitlin in the championship match because we are friends,” Yoon said. “I play her a lot in practice and know her game.”
Barrington easily won the sectional with 36 points. Jacobs was a distant second with 14 points followed by Crystal Lake Central (12), Cary-Grove (12), Crystal Lake South (10), Dundee-Crown (8), Grant (6) and Round Lake (2).
Both the Fillies’ double teams advanced to the state finals. Olivia Paik-Abby Carl outlasted teammates Amani Alvi-Priya Shah in the title match, 7-5, 2-6, 6-0.
Runner-up Jacobs got a third-place effort from the senior duo of Kaya Trumbo and Isha Desai.
Trumbo-Desai defeated Grant’s Gianna Vavalle and Elisha Rasborek 6-3, 6-2 to finish third.
Vavalle and Rasborek advanced to the state meet with a fourth-place finish.
“It was fun to play in the sectionals on our home court senior year,” Trumbo said. “We have familiarity with each other and we are very consistent.”
Desai added: “We want to win as many matches as we can at the state meet. Positivity and communication are important to us. We have familiarity with each other.”
Freshman Kylie Cohn from Jacobs certainly made the most of her first performance in sectional play.
The talented and poised first-year player placed third to advance to the state meet. Cohn defeated Crystal Lake Central freshman Parker Youtke, 6-1, 6-1.
“It is exciting to make it to the State meet,” Cohn said. “I was certainly able to use the wind to my advantage.”