On a sun-kissed Sept. 30 afternoon on the Oak Park and River Forest High School tennis courts, the OPRF girls tennis team battled Fenwick in the latest crosstown showdown between the two schools, separated by a few blocks on East Avenue.
The competition was intense, as always between the Huskies and Friars, and ended with a thrilling #1 singles match. The teams ended even at 4-4 in matches.
“Considering the length of the day and how taxing the competition [which also included Highland Park],” said OPRF coach Fred Galluzzo, “our kids competed well.”
“This was just what we needed,” said Fenwick coach Gerard Sullivan. “Playing tough competition before conference, awesome.”
The #1 singles match paired Fenwick’s Lily Brecknock, who won the IHSA Class 1A singles title last fall, against OPRF freshman Lucy Stein. Stein rolled to 6-1 victory in the opening set, but Brecknock responded with a 6-1 second set.
Then the duo went back and forth in an intense third set. Brecknock, a junior, showed her experience at the end and pulled away to win the match, 10-7.
“I was trying to change what I was doing after the first set,” Brecknock said. “I needed to stay patient, and it worked.”
Sullivan felt Brecknock needed to get pushed in order to find out how well she could make adjustments mid-match. He was pleased with the outcome afterward.
“[Stein] neutralized Lily’s power and hit her own big shots,” Sullivan said. “Lily managed to neutralize the neutralizing. It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes you’ve got to win ugly, and she came through with flying colors.”
OPRF won the other two singles matches as Maeve Marzec defeated Emma Louderback 6-2, 6-1 and Baylee Piasecki got past Mia Menendez 6-2, 4-6, 11-9.
Fenwick won three of the five doubles matches, including the Friars’ #1 team of Megan Trifilio and Trinity Hardin defeating Kathryn Meister and Anika Gupta 6-1, 6-1.
“We’ve improved a lot since we’ve played together my sophomore year and [Trifilio’s] freshman year,” Hardin, a senior, said. “I feel like we’re stronger.”
Rachel Abraham and Caroline Gruber of Fenwick defeated Alice Cadwell and Sophie Welch of OPRF 7-6, 6-3 at #2 doubles, while at #3 doubles, the Huskies’ Maria Clara Lau and Ava Lebovitz prevailed 6-4, 6-3 over the Friars’ Mae Mae McDonnell and Marin Jancewicz.
OPRF and Fenwick also played Highland Park. The Friars got a draw against the Giants, 4-4. In singles, Brecknock rolled past Nadia Barbieri 6-1, 6-2 while Menendez defeated Ava Flutak 6-0, 6-2. In doubles, Trifilio and Hardin defeated Jenna Adelman 6-3, 6-4.
The Huskies lost to Highland Park 6-2, with both victories occurring in singles. Stein prevailed 6-3, 7-6 over Barbieri, and Piasecki cruised 6-2, 6-2 over Adina Bard.
With postseason starting this week in conference tournament play, both teams like how they’re playing.
“We’re in reasonably good shape,” Galluzzo said. “The conference is brutal, so we’re just going to do what we can there, and then we go to the (Class 2A Lyons Township) sectional, which is basically conference again plus Fenwick. It’s nuts, and doesn’t make any kind of sense to have all those teams in the same place.”
“We took some losses and that’s a good thing because it’s going to make them bounce back next week,” Sullivan said. “It’s not a perfect season, but we’ve got momentum, and that’s all right. Everyone’s healthy and we’ve got a little more grit now.”
OPRF will travel to Hinsdale Central for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division tournament, Oct. 5-7. Meanwhile, Fenwick will participate in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference tournament, Oct. 6, at XS Tennis in Chicago.