Out of 64 teams in the state, the Girls Varsity Tennis Team earned an impressive third place finish. The six athletes ventured to Buffalo Grove to face some of the strongest competitors in Illinois, proving that teamwork and grind paid off.
The determined six: Senior captains Charlie Axus and Carm Ventura received 5th place and senior Charlotte McEvoy and junior Lainey Laughton received three wins for the doubles category. Senior captain Phoebe Silver, received 8th, and sophomore Ellanor Landers achieved 2 wins in the singles category to add to their overall State score.
Third place doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It was the result of months of disciplined practice and dedicated time towards the team to ensure this year’s success.
“Everyone was super into it, and everyone wanted to work hard and get better by themselves which was really important. The dedication and our team communication was really good,” Axus said. “We had a lot of team bonding things that just made us more connected and made the team want to practice hard and get better as a whole.”
Leading up to State there were some adjustments that needed to be made. With a team of 19 girls and only one coach, the team could only take six players to compete in the State series.
Out of over 10 teams, Lake Forest came out on top of their Sectional. Their momentum didn’t stop there as the Scouts went on to dominate the Semi Sectionals as well, securing yet another win. Even after many intense matches the grind and intensity didn’t let up. With their eyes set on State the Scouts continued to push themselves in order to achieve success.
Silver played eight matches in a span of three days and won six of them, “which is almost unheard of,” Head Coach Josh Rabjohns said.
Continuing with the grueling schedule, Axus and Ventura had to play seven matches in the span of three days.
“After the first day we were on a high and we won all three of our matches. The next day we had to play the two seeds, so that’s when we got kicked into the backdrop,” Axus said. “For us, that was a mental toughness thing because we were kicked into the backdraw and the highest we could get was 5th so that was kind of hard.”
After the smallest setback the power duo wasn’t going to give up without a fight. They came to realize that it was their last time playing with each other so it was time for them to “leave it all on the court” despite any outside pressure.
“We really just told each other that this is going to be the last time we’re going to play together. We went out there, saying who cares what’s going to happen. We just have to go and work our hardest, and that’s what we did. I think that’s what really brought us to the end,” Ventura said.
The third place finish was a result of true leadership, teamwork, and extensive effort. Every player contributed equally, making it a true achievement to the final outcome. With such a successful year, the captains deserve credit for setting the benchmark from start to finish and guiding the team to an impressive season.
“The three captains set the tone for the entire team day in and day out. From the beginning of our tryouts to the last day of the season. All three ridiculously are high character girls, super disciplined, hardworking, and very kind and compassionate girls,” Coach Rabjohns said.
The season was a testament to dedication, chemistry, and resilience. From dominating Sectionals to battling the countless hours on the court at State, the whole tennis team, including the strong six, showed great determination on and off the court. The team not only finished third at State but continues to build the foundation for future successes.
