GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW
Three things to watch
DEFENDING THE CROWN: Two-time Division 1 defending champion Homestead suffered a major blow with the loss of 2017 state individual runner-up Andie Weise, who coach Jackie Egelhoff said will attend a tennis academy this year. The Highlanders, however, still have the makings of a dangerous lineup. Five doubles players are back from the team that went undefeated last year. In singles, junior Natalie Yang is poised to move from No. 2 to the top spot and junior Jamie Gebhardt will go from No. 3 to No. 2.
BACK TO BACK: Homestead isn’t the only defending champion in the area. University School won its first title since 2014 last season. There is the potential for another crown this year, which would tie Brookfield Central for the second-most all time (nine). The Wildcats graduated just three seniors and have some players entering the program who are ready to contribute.
GREAT RIVALRY: University School’s Veda Sane and Kenosha St. Joseph’s Olivia Czerwonka played three times last season and each match went three sets. Sane won twice and got the last word in the rivalry with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory in the state final. The two could face each other twice this year, at the Jim Laing Invitational at University School Aug. 17-18 and in a dual Sept. 27 that will also be at University School, before what we’ll presume will be another showdown at the state tournament.
Players to watch
DIVISION 1
Bianca Andersen, jr., Wilmot: The two-time state qualifier has also been the player of the year in the Southern Lakes for the last two seasons.
Autumn Bruno, soph., Whitnall: What a freshman campaign she had. The defending Woodland champion won her first 25 matches before losing in the semifinals in three sets. She finished fourth.
Annabelle Crowley, sr., and Emma
Koppa, sr., Nicolet: The tandem finished fifth last year and are the only team from the top six finishers that returns intact this season.
Amy Drame, sr. Nicolet: After taking second in the North Shore, Drame won the sectional to reach state for the second straight year. Her best run at state came as a sophomore when she reached the third round.
Emily Horneffer, sr., Brookfield East: A late-season surge led to her first state tournament berth. She advanced to the third round.
Katie Lehman, sr., Franklin: The defending Southeast Conference champion finished 23-10 last season and made her first state tournament appearance.
Jordan Schifano, jr., DSHA: The twotime state qualifier outplayed her No. 7 seeding last year, upsetting undefeated Sabrina Tang, a No. 2 seed from Stevens Point, in the quarterfinals and later the fourth-seeded Bruno in the third-place match.
Logan White, sr., DSHA: The defending Greater Metro champion finished fifth at state in Division 1 the past two seasons. She was 25-3 last season and owns a 75-14 mark for her career.
DIVISION 2 Olivia Czerwonka, sr., Kenosha St. Joseph: After a sixth-place finish as a freshman and a fifth-place showing as a sophomore, she was the state runner-up last season and finished with a 31-2 record.
Veda Sane, sr., University School: After playing on the club circuit as a sophomore, Sane returned to the high school game and won big, claiming the individual state title and helping the Wildcats win their first team title in three years.