One of the brightest moments from last year was winning the state championship for the first time in Fenwick tennis history. Everyone can recall the roaring of cheers and applause that bounced off the walls of the auditorium the minute the players and coaches stepped onto the stage. The expectations and standards are greater this year as our tennis program continues to defend the state championship despite the highly competitive public and Catholic schools in the surrounding areas. Every day the girls have put loads of hard work into practice to continue the enthusiasm and legacy of Fenwick’s athletic success.
This school year, the tennis team has started the fall season on a good foot by taking the victory over the state runner up, Sandburg, at the eight team Niles North and West Invitational on Saturday, September 3. This tournament was a huge milestone for the team as everyone had the opportunity to play. Varsity captain, Marin Jancewicz, says “The Niles Invitational was a huge win for us. We were also the defending champions of that tournament. This win gave us a lot of confidence and momentum for the following weeks.” Rather Coach Trifilio sees success differently as she states, “it’s not about the highlights or “big moments” but rather, our success comes in small waves – a successful practice, seeing doubles teams congratulate themselves after a point, or even the first team warming up in the morning of a quad.” Additional worthy moments include the Fremd invite in which Fenwick had the obligation to win. The team beat Libertyville in the championship with a score of 3-2, determined by a very close tiebreaker match. Varsity has also won matches against U High, DePaul Prep, and Providence High School. Upcoming matches for the team include St. Ignatius and Loyola.
Upholding the state champion title is a duty of dedication and responsibility where athletes are faced with a multitude of obstacles. Both varsity athlete Megan Trifilio and captain Marin speak of the challenges of winning the state championship as now the team has been promoted to 2A division, a bigger division with the biggest and best schools in the area. Megan states, “we hope to qualify a few players but definitely no guarantees of anything.” Marin believes that the struggles they are facing being defending state champions is the pressure to live up to that title yet she is adamant that the team has handled the challenge well. Her words of advice are, “don’t look back on the few losses that we have had this season, but to learn from them. Playing harder teams teaches us ways to adapt during our matches.” This way helps both the individual athletes and the team as a whole as they perfect their mistakes in the following practices.
Within a successful team is a bond between the athletes that is created by unforgettable moments. As reported from Megan and Marin, the team has gotten along very well as they have eight varsity players that have returned this season and have added an additional five new talented players. For Megan she states that the highlight of the season so far is being back on the court with everyone and being a part of the team again. She states, “I’m really looking forward to the conference. As a team, we are hoping to 3 peat and defend the title again. It won’t be easy, but our tough matches so far have helped make us stronger.” Good luck to the girls as they continue their successful season and hope to defend the state title.
