Girls tennis: Sterling’s Aitken, Tablante; Dixon’s Ferguson, Arjes ready to compete at Class 1A state tourney

The IHSA Class 1A Girls Tennis State Tournament will take place Thursday through Saturday at Buffalo Grove and other high schools in the Chicagoland area.

For Dixon junior Grace Ferguson and Sterling junior Ellie Aitken, it will be the third trip to the northwest Chicago suburbs. For Dixon junior Addison Arjes and Sterling senior Layla Tablante, it will be the first.

Ferguson, the Duchesses’ No. 1 singles player, qualified for state in doubles during her freshman and sophomore years. As a sophomore, she was a sectional champion with partner Leah Kuehl. That duo won three matches in the consolation bracket at the 2022 state tournament and was honored as an all-state third-team selection.

This year, Ferguson (26-5) qualified for state by herself, going 4-0 in singles and winning the Rochelle Sectional on Saturday. Now, she’ll see how she can perform on her own.

“I think we got to show our skills [at the sectional], and it’s exciting to compete in meets because it shows off all of the hard work we’ve been putting in in practice,” Ferguson said. “I would say a goal I have is to make it to the second day of state. The competition down there is really good, though, so I would say just competing my best [is the main goal].”

Ferguson thinks her past experience will benefit her.

“I definitely know what the competition is like down there, so I know what to expect,” she said. “It’s still nerve-wracking going down there, but it’ll be better.”

Ferguson will be joined at state by Arjes, who went 30-3 playing No. 2 singles this year. Arjes went 2-2 at the Rochelle Sectional for a fourth-place finish.

“We felt very accomplished, because we worked for our goal and we got to the end goal,” Arjes said about qualifying for state. “[As far as goals at state go], I would say working on experience and getting that competition from state.”

As a first-time state qualifier, Arjes is grateful to have a teammate coming with her.

“I feel like it makes it less stressful because your whole team is not just relying on you,” she said. “You have someone that can sit there and understand the experience as well.”

Aitken (27-8), Sterling’s No. 1 singles player, qualified for state in singles as a freshman and sophomore. This year, she qualified again with a third-place finish at the Galesburg Sectional, defeating teammate and No. 2 singles player Tablante (13-7) in her final match.

“It’s kind of like a relief when you can get through the first day [of sectionals] into the second day, because you know you’ve qualified,” Aitken said. “I’m really excited because you work so hard in the offseason, and now this is the moment when it’s like, ‘This is it,’ and you just get to do your best.”

Like Ferguson, Aitken expects her past experience to come in handy.

“I think it will [help], because I kind of know what to expect, because there’s going to be good players,” Aitken said. “Obviously, I’m going to see different people, but I kind of have a sense of the basis of what to expect, so it’s a little bit of a relief, because it’s not my first rodeo.”

For Tablante, going to state for the first time is exciting and nerve-wracking.

“I’m excited, but I’m also scared, because I’ve never gone to state before. It’s going to be a good experience,” Tablante said. “My goal is just to make it as far as I can and try my best. I hope to be able to score some points for our team.”

As a first-time qualifier, Tablante is happy to have a teammate along for the ride.

“It’s actually a really big relief, because I wouldn’t want to go by myself, because that’s scary,” Tablante said.

After making the trip to state by herself last year, Aitken is glad to have a teammate joining her again.

“I’m really excited because my freshman year, I had a teammate with me, and last year I didn’t, it was just me, so I’m really excited to have someone that I can share the experience with,” Aitken said.