Supporting Glenbrook South High School Athletics
As tennis double partners go, Michael Levin and Michael Sellitto are pretty laid-back guys.
But to confuse their behavior for ambivalence would be selling the Glenbrook South duo short. Both players have an overwhelming ambition to be the best, but both go about it in a more subdued way.
“On the court, they have a great disposition together,’’ Glenbrook South coach Larry Faulkner said. “A lot of times players get upset with their partner. That never happens with them.’’
(Journal Online) The Glenbrook South tennis team got off on the right swing over the weekend.
They opened up their season Saturday at the Rolling Meadows quad without dropping a single match for a perfect 3-0 start.
They defeated Conant, Rolling Meadows and Prairie Ridge 6-1 each. The only points given up were due to forfeiting at 3rd singles because the Titans did not have a full roster playing.
“We got a very good club. We have a lot of seniors with a lot of experience,” said GBS coach Larry Faulkner. “We can do very well in our dual meets and our tournaments.”
The team has six seniors where most were varsity players for two to three years.
Senior Michael Sellitto has been on varsity all four years and is a returning state qualifier.
He currently ranks 8th out of 42 in the school’s all-time win list with a 103-18 record. He’ll be playing tennis at Illinois State University next year.
The experience Sellitto brings to the court is augmented by seniors Michael Levin and Luke McCanna. All three are the team captains this year.
Levin is also a returning state qualifier. He and now junior Konrad Ryba finished in the doubles quarterfinal consolation bracket at state last year.
The Titans as a whole placed 6th at state last year. One of their best and most recent finishes was 4th in 2009.
“We’ve had a lot of good teams, but this year’s team definitely ranks with some of the best,” said Faulkner, who’s entering his 37th season as head coach.
The true testament to the Titans strength will be tested today (Tuesday) against Oak Park-River Forest. OPRF has placed in the top five at state each year since 2007.
Regardless of the trial by fire and returning state power, the Titans have a new weapon in their arsenal – Konrad Zieba.
Zieba, a junior, is a nationally ranked player and has decided to join the team this year. His freshman year he was unable to because he was training at an elite academy in Florida with the United States Tennis Association.
His sophomore year he was home schooled, making him unable to join the team. But he did compete nationally ending with a 38-9 record last year.
“He’s definitely one of the top singles players in the state,” Faulkner said.
After OPRF, Glenbrook South (3-0) will start a busy week. They host Niles North Thursday, Moline Friday and travel to the Libertyville tournament on Saturday.
(Glenview Announcements) Michael Sellitto is sharing the same side of the court with a familiar face.
After playing singles last season, the Glenbrook South senior is back together with Michael Levin at No. 1 doubles. The partners started the spring Saturday by going 3-0 at Rolling Meadows’ quadrangular.
Sellitto was a 9-16 seed at singles at the state tournament last season, but he’s giving way to Konrad Ryba this year. Ryba played doubles with Levin a year ago.
Sellitto is happy to pair up with Levin again. The two were a 5-8 seed at the state tournament in 2010.
“It’s been good,” said Sellitto, who play college tennis at Illinois State. “I think he’s in good form right now and playing well. We’ve been able to work on some stuff and get a feel for each other again.”
Sellitto enjoyed a productive offseason, traveling the country playing top-level tournaments. He and his Wisconsin partner won a national open in Pensacola, Fla., and played at the spring nationals in Mobile, Ala.
“It was busy, but I felt like I got better,” he said. “I am a lot more confident going into this season. I’m feeling really good.”
Serving was one area Sellitto where concentrated on improving in the offseason. He believes he accomplished that.
“That’s a big part of why I am playing so well right now,” he said. “Being able to get free points, like aces, off my serve makes a lot of matches easier on myself.”
Sellitto also said he committed himself to working out off the court. He spent several days a week with trainers to improve his strength and agility.
“That’s such a big part of the men’s game today,” he said.
All of Glenbrook South’s players started the season the right way Saturday, as the Titans didn’t lose a match.
Things get tougher this week. Glenbrook South was scheduled to play Oak Park-River Forest on Tuesday, Niles North today (Thursday) and Moline Friday before competing at Libertyville’s tournament Saturday.
(Glenview Announcements) The youngest in a big tennis family, Sam Hoogland could not have asked for a better foundation.
The Glenbrook South freshman watched as older brother and 2010 graduate Ben finished fifth in the state last season. Years before, their father Keith enjoyed a college playing career at Vanderbilt.
“I’ve always had someone to play with growing up,” Sam said. “Once I got older, I played with Ben a lot more.”
Sam started his separation this spring and is on his way to a possible standout career himself. Ben, now a player at William & Mary, also made the state tournament as a freshman before becoming one of the best in Illinois by the time he left.
In his first state tournament, Sam won his first two matches and finished 4-2.
“I played a lot of good matches this year and had some good wins, some big wins,” he said. “I was really excited to get into the tournament because I am a freshman. Not a lot of freshmen get in, and it was pretty awesome to get in and do so well.”
Sam Hoogland wasn’t the only Titan to experience success at the state tournament this year. The team’s No. 1 singles player, Michael Sellitto, won three matches before ending up 4-2.
Glenbrook South tied for sixth and was one of four CSL clubs to finish among the top eight in the state. New Trier defended its state championship, and Deerfield finished second.
“The singles draw was definitely really tough this year,” said Sellitto, who played doubles at the state meet last year. “You don’t have an easy match. I thought I played well. But in the matches I lost, I felt like I under-performed. I didn’t lose to anybody I should not have.”
Glenbrook South’s doubles team of Konrad Ryba and Michael Levin rounded out the Titans’ lineup. The pair went 6-2.
Three of the team’s four qualifiers are expected back next season.
“We have a good chance of winning the title next year,” Sellitto said. “We have that caliber of a team coming back.”
First, Hoogland and Sellitto will hit the summer tournament circuit. Both hope to qualify for the USTA’s junior national tournament in early August in Kalamazoo, Mich. Both need to continue improving their rankings, as only the top 196 players are invited.
“I will be training very hard for the next couple of weeks before it starts again,” Sellitto said.
(Glenview Announcements) Glenbrook South made second place look just like the top prize at last weekend’s Schaumburg Sectional.
The Titans (18-4) finished second with 25 points, just one behind Barrington (26), but are sending both singles and a doubles team to the state tournament today.
“I was happy to qualify three to the state tournament,” said head coach Larry Faulkner. “We’re the only team here that did that and obviously winning the sectional is tough. Our second doubles team got a really tough draw with Barrington in the first round and didn’t get any points and even if they get two points, we win it.”
Michael Sellito and Sam Hoogland both advanced to the singles final, while Konrad Ryba and Michael Levin took home third place at doubles.
Sellito finished the weekend 4-0 after recording a 6-0, 7-5 win over Glenbrook North’s Brian Levitas in the semis and a 6-2, 6-0 decision over Hoogland for the title.
“I’ve been having sort of a tough time this year playing one singles and I haven’t played my best,” said Sellito. “But I played really well this weekend so it’s a good outlook on state.”
This marks Sellito’s third straight appearance in the state tournament, but first at doubles. He and his partner placed third in 2009 and in the top eight in 2010.
The freshman Hoogland, who’s brother Ben was a three-time state qualifier, will try to match his brother’s quarterfinal run of last season.
“If he’s playing well, he can do it,” Faulkner said. “If his serve’s working, and he’s an excellent player, (Hoogland and Sellito) both can be in the quarterfinals.”
The Titans also qualified Ryba and Levin, who wrapped up the sectional with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Conant’s Takuma Ito and Peter Itskovich in the third-place match.
In the semifinals, the pair lost to Barrington’s No. 2 doubles duo 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“Losing to Barrington was disappointing,” said Faulkner. “I think we felt that we could have won that, but give Barrington some credit, they played well. When we needed to make shots; we didn’t.”
The timing of the sectional doesn’t bode well for GBS, because every year it falls on the same weekend as prom.
“I won’t give prom as an excuse, but that probably has something to do with that,” Faulkner said. “I don’t know for Konrad how much he got to sleep, but that happens to us every sectional.”
This will be Sellito’s first appearance at the state tournament as a singles competitor, but he will be ready for the tough challenges.
“I’m just going to keep working with my coach on my forehand and my serve. Those are going to be the big weapons that I need to go far in the tournament,” said Sellito. “There’s going to be some great players and I’m probably going to be seeded ninth through 16 (he was) so I’ll probably get a good match early on in the tournament.”
Hoogland was seeded 17-32, the same as Ryba and Levin on the doubles side.
(Glenview Announcements) Konrad Ryba earned one of Glenbrook South’s championships last week at the CSL South tournament by beating Evanston’s Adam Collins in the finals at No. 2 singles.
The junior knocked off New Trier’s Chas Mayer in three sets before sweeping Collins 6-1, 6-4 for the title. The Titans totaled 32 points and took second to New Trier’s 36.
The Titans’ No. 3 doubles team of Will Lyon and Michael Baddeloo also finished first after beating New Trier’s Ted Eberle and Matt Bevenour 6-2, 6-3.
Glenbrook South coach Larry Faulkner paired Michael Sellitto and Michael Levin together at No. 1 doubles for the conference meet. The two played at the state tournament last spring, but Sellitto primarily played No. 1 singles for the Titans during the regular season.
After winning the first set in the finals against New Trier’s tandem of Tom Fawcett and Drew Campbell, Sellitto and Levin couldn’t complete the job in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to take second place.
Glenbrook South competes for spots at the state tournament Saturday at the Schaumburg Sectional.
(Journal Online) Glenbrook South’s boys tennis Titans weren’t very hospitable hosts at their eight-team invitational this past weekend.
The Titans shut out Elk Grove, 5-0; won 4-1 over Libertyville in the semifinals, and then defeated Benet Academy 4-1 in the finals.
The Titans lost only 2 of the 15 matches they played at both singles and doubles in the process. This win continue their so-far highly successful season.
Against Elk Grove, Michael Sellitto and Sam Hoogland won singles matches in straight sets by 6-0 scores.
In doubles, Michael Levin and Konrad Ryba were 6-0, 6-0 winners at first doubles, Michael Bolotnikov and Luke McCanna were 6-1, 6-0 winners at 2nd doubles, and Merrick Topping and Steve Minkus were 6-2, 6-0 winners at 3rd.
Against Libertyville, Sellitto and Hoogland again were singles winners, and Levin and Ryba won at 1st doubles and Topping and Minkus were doubles winners on a 10-point tiebreaker. Will Lyon and Michael Baddeloo lost their 2nd doubles match, 6-4, 6-2.
In the final against Benet, Sellitto and Hoogland again won easily in straight sets. Levin and Ryba won, 6-4, 7-5; and Bolotnikov and McCanna won on a tiebreaker. Lyon and Baddeloo lost on a tiebreaker.
Other participating teams were Niles West, Evanston, Maine South, and Loyola.
(CSLInsider.com) Playing in tricky winds put Glenbrook South’s No. 1 doubles team of Mike Levin and Konrad Ryba in a bit of a quandary in their final match against Benet’s Michael Schutt and Robert Martin Saturday at the GBS Invitational in Glenview.
But then again, those very same winds became their best friend when they needed it most as the Titans duo rallied from deficits in both sets to win 6-4, 7-5.
Their win, along with victories from Mike Sellitto at No. 1 singles, Sam Hoogland at No. 2 singles and Michael Bolotnikov and Luke McCanna at No. 3 doubles, sent GBS on its way to a 4-1 victory over Benet Academy in the dual meet tournament. It marked the fifth straight year that GBS has ruled its own invitational.
Taking third was Loyola, followed by Libertyville, Evanston, Niles West, Maine South and Elk Grove in the eight-team field.
The Titans earned wins over Elk Grove (5-0) and Libertyville (4-1) to reach the championship match.
“One side was easier (with the wind at your backs),” Ryba said. “When we realized we were going down a little bit, we focused a little bit more and tried not to mess up and get some good swings.”
“Konrad had come up big serving to hold the serve against the wind,” GBS coach Larry Faulkner said. “We were able to do that. Give Konrad at lot of credit for fighting through that because having the wind at your back was a big advantage for whoever had that side of the net.”
With a 6-5 lead in the second set, Levin hit a short backhand return on the near side of the net to clinch the win.
“I tried to get a crossover, but it turned out better than I wanted it to. I’ll take it,” Levin said.
Levin and Ryba fell behind 4-3 in both sets at one point before rallying from behind. “(Faulkner) was just telling us to make sure to focus on our turns and back crosses because they were deep,” Ryba said.
“We were over-hitting our returns a little bit,” Faulkner said of his No. 1 doubles team. “(Schutt and Martin) were good at serving volleys. But if we were able to roll the ball at their feet, we would be able to get an unforced error. We had the tendency to try to win the serve receive rather than win the point.”
Sellitto enjoyed a 3-0 day, ending with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Benet’s Andrew Caniglia. Caniglia gave Sellitto problems at times with his backhand returns, but the three-time tournament champion prevailed in fine fashion.
“Basically I was trying to handle his attacks and tried to keep balls on the court. We really can’t try to do too much with all this wind out here,” Sellitto said. “It’s another (win) in the record books really. It’s nice to get a third one in a row and hopefully next year we can get a fourth before I go.”
Sellitto, who has had tremendous success this season both in singles and doubles, doesn’t mind playing either spot as the junior prepares for another state run later this season.
“From last year to this year, I worked on my serve a lot,” he said. “And then I worked on my fitness a lot so it’s really helped me in the singles game. I got a lot fitter and I’m able to move around the court better. But basically I don’t care whether I play singles or doubles. I like them both so whatever my coach wants me to play, I’ll play.
“I feel like I’m stronger this year. I’m not sure if I’m going to play singles or doubles (at sectionals), but I’m pretty confident in myself that I can get those two wins to get to the state tournament.”
Hoogland topped Alex Romano 6-1, 6-0 to also finish the day at 3-0 at No. 2 singles. Bolotnikov and McCanna won their No. 3 doubles match 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 over Patrick Gallehugh and Noah Read.
Benet’s Matthew Rurka and Chris Siemann handed the Titans their only loss of the match, beating Will Lyons and Mike Baddeloo 6-1, 3-6, 10-5 in No. 2 doubles.
“It’s a good feeling that the kids played well,” Faulkner said. “It’s not really important whether we win that tournament. You just like to see the kids play well. We got a lot of tennis in today and that’s good. We needed to work on some things and some of those things showed. We were able to play well as a result on some of those things we worked on.”
Evanston suffered its only loss of the day to Benet, losing 3-2, but topped Maine South 4-1 and Niles West 5-0 in the fifth-place match.
Niles West lost to Libertyville 4-1 and earned its only win of the day over Elk Grove.
Loyola topped Maine South 3-2, but the Hawks beat Elk Grove 5-0 in the seventh-place match.
Glenbrook South showed off its depth Saturday by capturing the Libertyville Liberty Bell Tournament without two of its best players.
“That’s pretty good,” said coach Larry Faulkner, whose team edged out rival Glenbrook North for the title.
Konrad Ryba missed the eight-team meet with a back injury, and Michael Levin sat out some matches will taking the ACT.
Ryba has been spending time with the team trainer and could be in the lineup when the Titans compete in Moline’s eight-team invitational on Saturday.
Without Ryba and Levin, Michael Sellitto did his part by finishing 4-0 in singles at the Liberty Bell. The junior advanced to the finals against Glenbrook North’s Brian Levitas, who defaulted with an injury.
“Michael is just a fine player,” Faulkner said. “He plays excellent singles and doubles. He’s a double threat. We may even get him in some doubles.”
Sam Hoogland placed third at singles. The freshman went 3-1, losing only to Levitas in a third-set tiebreaker. Sellitto and Hoogland, who’s been playing mostly at No. 2 singles, have combined for only two losses this season.
On the doubles side, Michael Bolotnikov and Luke McCanna placed fifth after going 3-1.
The Titans also lost to Oak Park-River Forest 6-1 last week before beating Niles North 7-0. Hoogland earned the lone victory against the Huskies.
“He’s showing he’s a very, very solid player,” Faulkner said of the rookie. “He plays very good tennis.”
Sellitto suffered his first loss of the season, to OPRF’s Jake Wilson, who played doubles at the State Meet last season.
“They are a loaded team,” Faulkner said of the Huskies. “Very strong club.”
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