Sports
Villa Duchese Looking Forward To Districts In Tennis
Saints Battle MICDS To A Draw As End Of Regular Season Nears.
Heading into the Class 1 District 5 girls tennis tournament next week, Villa Duchesne Coach Allison Wilson said she uses one word to describe her youthful and talented team's chances of advancing to sectional play.
Wilson said she likes her chances of advancing a few players to sectionals and perhaps state. "Positive," Wilson said as she watched host Villa Duchesne and MICDS battle to a 6-all tie on Monday.
Wilson will have her top players play doubles in the post-season because singles competition is difficult, especially with John Burroughs' three-time defending state singles champion Sydney Lehman in the mix. Freshman Brittany Green and junior Summer Desloge will team as Villa Duchesne's top doubles squad. Freshman Merrit Stahle and senior Anna Gallagher will be the No. 2 doubles squad. Sophomore Catherine Dubugue and senior Ellie Hattrich are the Saints' No. 3 doubles team. All six players play in United States Tennis Association competition.
Wilson decided on the doubles combination after head-to-head competition in matches and practices. "I figured out who has the best chemistry, who was more solid on the court, who moved well, who had the better strategy," Wilson said. "Some had strong doubles strategies, others concentrated on singles' strategies. Really, it was pretty obvious."
Green and Desloge have different serving styles, which adds to the difficulty of defeating them. Against MICDS, Desloge and Green whipped sophomore Angeline Veronikis and Jordan Block, 8-1. Desloge and Green were winners in singles play against the Rams. Desloge manhandled Veronikis, 6-0, 6-1 in No. 1 singles while Green edged senior Elizabeth Simeon, 7-6, 6-4. "Brittany has a solid serve while Summer mixes it up," Wilson said. "They have different styles. They compliment their styles."
Stahle and Gallagher also was a logical choice, Wilson said. They teamed to win the Flight 2 Parkway Doubles crown earlier this season. Stahle and Gallagher teamed to defeat Simeon and freshman Emily Lee, 8-4. Gallagher prevailed over senior Taylor Glover, 6-3, 6-3 in "They click together very well," Wilson said. "They've done very well."
Villa Duchesne's other win came from Dubugue over freshman Carolyn Danforth, 6-4, 6-4. "They have strong court smarts," Wilson said. "They have more perseverance, endurance and an understanding of the game. That's really big for us."
Meanwhile, MICDS has struggled with injuries and health issues from its two top players, senior and nationally ranked Katherine Desloge (Summer's cousin), who has missed most of the season with mononucleosis, and senior Katherine Moore, who has missed much of the year with an ankle injury.
MICDS Assistant Coach Ian Watson said they hope to have Desloge and Moore return for district play. "We've had mixed results," said Watson, who filled in as head coach Monday. Freshmen Carolyn Danforth and Lee have gained varsity experience because of the setbacks. Danforth and sophomore Emily Kyman combined to down senior Jamie Curran and sophomore Riley O'Dowd 6-4, 6-1, in No. 4 doubles. Junior Merrill Hermann downed Stahle, 6-3, 6-2, in No. 3 singles while Block downed Hattrich, 6-0, 6-1 in No. 6 singles.
District play begins on Oct. 3 at John Burroughs. The team competition will be from Oct. 3-5 while the individual event will be on Oct. 6-7. The top teams and top two singles and doubles squads advance to sectionals against representatives from District 6, which includes Principia, Westminster and Visitation Academy. The District 5 competition includes host John Burroughs, MICDS, Clayton, McCluer South-Berkeley, University City and Villa Duchesne.
Villa Duchesne traveled to play at Nerinx Hall at 4 p.m. today while MICDS closes at Visitation at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Wilson, though, said the district competition will be a challenge.
"It just depends on the day," Wilson said of Villa Duchesne's chances at districts and beyond. "It really does."