Dunlap is bringing home a state tennis trophy again.
The Eagles girls tennis team rolled up 27 points to finish third in the IHSA Class 1A girls tennis state finals on Saturday. It matched the 2023 third-place finish that was an all-time best for the program.
Metamora finished 12th in 1A, while Richwoods was in a grouping at 42 in Class 2A. Morton, in 1A, and Washington, in 2A, did not earn team points.
Previously: Here are the 17 area high school girls tennis players who qualified for IHSA state
“It was an incredible, long day, and now we have a long ride home,” Dunlap coach Pat Gornik said. “That ride is a little easier, though, when you have a third-place trophy strapped in to the seat next to you.
“This was one of the most exciting ones for us. We had high hopes coming in. We had to keep winning points all day today to insure we didn’t lose a team place to Chicago University. It was truly a total team effort. Call is success by a thousand cuts.”
Here is a look at how Peoria-area tennis players fared this weekend at the state finals:
• Dunlap’s sisters doubles tandem of senior Carolina Gusso and sophomore Isabella Gusso, won six matches and battled to the state fifth-place match in the consolation bracket. They were eliminated there, 6-4, 2-6, 10-3 in a tiebreaker to Kennedi Taylor and Natalie Beck of Glen Carbon Father McGivney.
They beat a tandem from Marian in the consolation semifinals, won a consolation quarterfinal against a Hinsdale South duo in which two of the three sets went to tiebreakers, won a third-round match against Marian, a second-round match against Olney and an opening-round match against Metamora duo Mia Whitfield (junior) and Amelia Cooper (senior).
• Dunlap doubles tandem of Maya Baman and Melaina Humbles won a first-round match against Marian, beat Metamora duo Olivia Bradford and Ellie Schaffer in the second round, then were stopped in the third round of the championship bracket by a Chicago (University) tandem. They were eliminated in a loss to Triad in the consolation bracket fourth round, a match that went to a third-set tiebreaker.
• Metamora’s Bradford and Schaffer won two matches in consolation before being eliminated in the fourth round by a Teutopolis tandem.
• Dunlap’s Yu rolled to a fifth-place finish with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Jane Carter (Elmhurst Timothy Christian). Yu made it through the championship bracket to the quarterfinal round before falling there to Chicago (University) senior Paola Almeda, 6-3, 6-2. Almeda went on to reach the state championship match.
• Dunlap junior Alassea Michel battled to the consolation quarterfinals, where she was eliminated by Casey’s Elise Derome, 6-4, 6-1.
• Metamora junior Lexi Burton lost her opening championship bracket match, then defaulted in her opening consolation bracket match.
Last season: Dunlap girls tennis makes history to lead Peoria-area players at IHSA state finals
• Morton sophomore Chloe Kendall won her opening round match, lost in the second round to Yu (6-0, 6-1), and was eliminated in the second round of consolation play by Highland senior Ruthie Manor.
• Metamora junior Lauren Poole won her opening match over Dixon’s Grace Ferguson in a 10-6 third-set tiebreaker, then lost to Hinsdale South’s Addy Filipiak in the second round. In consolation, she won her third-round match, then exited with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Marian senior Kaitlin Remke.
Richwoods and Washington high school doubles tandems had a tough outing at state.
The Knights tandem of Theresa Bartelme and Olivia Reynolds lost an opening match to a pair from Lake Forest. They battled back to win two consolation matches, beating Rockford Guilford tandem Yeva Ksenafontova and Laci Belknap, 6-3, 6-2, then topping Edwardsville tandem Veda Kommineni and Albina Selimi, 7-6 (2), 6-0. The Knights tandem was eliminated in the third round of consolation by a tandem from Barrington.
Washington’s tandem of senior Annabelle Hiel and senior Anica Roozenboom lost its opening match to Wheaton Warrenville South. They were eliminated with a loss to a freshman duo from Palatine Fremd in their consolation bracket opener.
Dunlap’s sensational freshman singles player Anna Yu earned first-team all-state honors, as did the Eagles’ doubles tandem of sisters Carolina Gusso and Isabella Gusso. … Dunlap’s Alassea Michel was second-team all-state, and doubles tandem Maya Baman and Melaina Humbles were third-team all-state. … Metamora’s Lauren Poole was third-team all-state in singles, while doubles tandem Olivia Bradford and Ellie Schaffer were third-team all-state.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA girls tennis state: How Peoria-area players fared at state
