(Glenview Announcements) Glenbrook South’s young Titans are too excited about next year to dwell on a somewhat frustrating finish to this season.

Three wins by sophomore star Caroline Ryba and another by the senior doubles duo of Charlotte Hoogland and Caley Howland gave GBS eight points and a tie for 20th place in last weekend’s 40th IHSA State Meet.

The Titans endured a nightmarish first day in near-monsoon conditions. Each of their four qualifiers played at least one match while many others never even began. Late in the day, the officials decided to cancel the entire consolation bracket. That especially hurts teams with four qualifiers, such as GBS, that can accumulate more points with back-draw wins.

Freshman Annemarie Emme won a back-draw match after a first-round loss, but her victory and one point were wiped out. The doubles team of freshman Martina Dragoytchev and junior Allie Sonneborn also experienced a sour state debut when they were pulled off the court while leading their consolation match.

“Pretty much everything that happened the first day was hard for us, but others were affected, too. Those are tough decisions for the committee. We still did better than last year,” said third-year head coach Katie Nicolotti.

Seeded 9-16, Ryba shut out her Lincoln Park and Glenbard South opponents and then dominated a strong 17-32 seed in Crystal Lake’s Marisa Thome 6-1, 6-2. But she ran into a formidable and familiar foe in fellow sophomore Alex Chatt of Lyons and was eliminated 6-2, 6-0. Chatt, a 3-4 seed, rolled into the finals.

“I just couldn’t find a rhythm. I had played her before in USTA a few times, and had won and lost to her,” Ryba recalled. “I’ll learn from this and not let it affect me. Moving forward, I’d like to add more power. I might try strength training.”

Tall, smooth, precisely accurate and ultra-dedicated, Ryba could become one of the state’s top four players over the next two years. She advanced one round deeper than last year to cap a scintillating season in which she finished at 25-5.

Ryba beat Stevenson doubles standout Alexxis Kiven in a singles match and Carmel’s outstanding freshman, Brienne Minor. She avenged two defeats by smoking New Trier’s Carol Finke 6-2, 6-2 in the CSL South singles title match before losing only four games in four matches to easily win the Maine East Sectional title.

“Caroline went in incredibly focused and played beautifully her first three matches,” noted Nicolotti. “She can’t be too hard on herself about losing to Chatt. who was very powerful and just getting every ball back, and went on to beat the No. 1 seed.”

Emme drew a tough 17-32 seed in Mount Carmel sophomore Tyra Buss and lost in straight sets. But the freshman carved out a sterling 19-7 record against tough competition at No. 2 singles.

“Annie has a very high ceiling. She puts a lot of pace on the ball and has great placement. She just needs to learn more patience and leave herself a bigger margin of error,” said Nicolotti.

Hoogland willingly switched to doubles and loved it after qualifying in singles as a sophomore. The consummate role model, Hoogland set a high standard on the court and in the classroom. She and Howland meshed seamlessly as No. 1 doubles partners. They eliminated a pair of Bartlett seniors 6-2, 6-3 before losing by the same scores to a 17-32 seed in Batavia seniors Hanna Potter/Kaitlin Mills.

The Titans’ only other senior, Diana Diaconu, teamed with junior Mary Friedman, a 2010 doubles qualifier champing at the bit to return to State next year. Talented, versatile freshman Jessica Chepurda could slide over from No. 3 singles to a key doubles role next fall. Dragoytchev/Sonneborn earned a late promotion to No. 2 doubles and justified it by qualifying for State. Juniors Alani Podgorski/Korry Hershenhouse were solid, under-the-radar contributors.

Season recap

Nicolotti sensed good vibes early on. GBS moved up 10 notches from the previous year with a fourth-place showing in the New Trier tourney. The Titans ventured to the Quad Cities over Labor Day weekend and returned with the Moline title. They later added the Wheaton-Warrenville South Doubles crown. They finished 8-3 overall in duals and 4-1 in conference, including a 4-3 victory over Glenbrook North, their first in years. GBS could not unseat six-time champion GBN in the sectional, but the Titans matched the Spartans by advancing the maximum of four qualifiers to State.

“I always look at the long bus rides to and from Quad Cities as a time for the team to get to know each other. This time I could see the girls were having a lot of fun and making a lot of friendships, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the season,” recalled Nicolotti. “As good as this season was, I am so excited about next year. I think we’ll have an incredible season.”

“There was a difference this year with all our younger players. They added a lot of fun and energy,” said Hoogland. “Caroline always gives 100 percent, even last year when she wasn’t feeling well and even though we didn’t have anyone who could test her. We have a great coach, too. She is genuinely warm and caring, and always knows just the right thing to say to any of us. She doesn’t question our judgment and, as a former player, really relates to everyone.”

With first, fourth and sixth places, Hinsdale Central cruised to its 13th state title and fifth in the last six years. CSL South champion New Trier and North champ Deerfield finished second and fourth, respectively. With 12 points, Glenbrook North was among seven teams sharing eighth place. CSL entries posted a 38-18 record.

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(Glenview Announcements) Any opponent of Carolina Ryba will have her hands full in this weekend’s IHSA State Meet.

Losing a mere four games in four matches, Glenbrook South’s sophomore singles star effortlessly cruised through the field at the Maine East Sectional Friday and Saturday.

“She is an exceptional player. Super-consistent. Great placement. Strong mental game. And so smooth,” assessed GBS head coach Katie Nicolotti after Ryba, freshman Annemarie Emme, C.C. Hoogland/Caley Howland and Martina Dragoytchev/Allie Sonneborn all advanced.

Ryba (22-4) routed Glenbrook North’s Elizabeth Sak 6-0, 6-2 and Vicki Olejniczak 6-1, 6-0 after blanking her Lane foe and dispatching Maine South’s Randi Wind 6-1, 6-0. She also won the CSL South’s No. 1 singles crown Oct. 8 with a dominant 6-2, 6-4 victory over New Trier’s Carol Finke to avenge two earlier defeats.

“I had a rough patch before the season with injuries and sickness. Now I feel healthier and mentally stronger,” said Ryba, who advanced to the third round in the winners’ bracket and wound up 3-2 at State as a freshman. “My goal this year is to win more matches in the main draw.”

Nicolotti pushed through all four of the Titans’ entries for the first time in her three years at the helm. The icing on the cake would have been the team’s first sectional crown since 1992, but GBN, which claimed the other four state berths, edged GBS 30-26 for its sixth straight.

Emme (22-6), who makes spectacular shots in sharp contrast to Ryba’s quiet but deadly efficiency, easily qualified as a No. 2 seed with a bye, a 6-0, 6-2 win over Maine West’s Cara Franke and a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Maine South’s Monika Spalinski. The freshman then endured six hours of windy tennis, beating Olejniczak 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 for third place after losing the semifinal 5-7, 6-2, 6-7 (1-7) to Sak.

“I am so proud of her. She had beaten Sak twice, but Elizabeth just played outstanding this time. Annemarie showed what a battler she is,” said Nicolotti.

After dominating a Maine West pair, C.C. Hoogland and Caley Howland clawed past Maine South’s Lauren Krone/Meghan Salgio in a suspended match. The Titans’ seniors lost to Spartans’ junior stars Anna Zelechonok/Katrine Zhadovich before earning third place with a win over teammates Dragoytchev/Sonneborn. Hoogland earned the distinction of qualifying as both a singles and doubles player, having advanced in the former role as a sophomore.

“They both worked really hard in the offseason. This was their first year together. They have a great dynamic between them,” Nicolotti said.

Freshman Dragoytchev and junior Sonneborn won not one but two challenge matches to move up to No. 2 doubles. They justified the promotion by skunking a Taft duo and then outlasting Niles West’s Anna Marzalado/Karen Silverman in a suspended match.

The 40th State Meet will be hosted by Prospect and played at 14 sites, including all 12 Mid-Suburban League schools, Thursday through Saturday. Deerfield’s Alexis Casati and Wheaton-Warrenville South’s Keisha Clousing enter with undefeated singles records. Hinsdale Central, seeking its 13th title and fifth in six years, features defending doubles champs Marika Cusick/Caroline Lorenzini, who have lost one match in the last two seasons.

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(Glenview Announcements)  Glenbrook South is set up for great things over the next three to four years.

With the team’s top three singles competitors being underclassmen, the Titans’ success this fall could spill over for a long time.

On Saturday, GBS (7-6, 1-1 CSL) placed second at the Loyola Invitational with wins over Hinsdale South 3-2 and Edwardsville 4-1, but lost to a dominant Hinsdale Central 5-0 in the championship match.

“I was really impressed with the girls in the first three rounds,” said head coach Katie Nicolotti. “Our singles are very strong this year and our No. 3 doubles team also secured our victories in each of the first two rounds.”

Although the final match ended with a shutout by the defending state runner-up, the young talent of the Titans pushed back further than in years’ past.

“We played them two years ago and my girls were almost celebrating if they just got a couple of points off of them, but the most we got in one match was three games,” Nicolotti said. “My players gave them a pretty good fight on Saturday. They were much more competitive with them and gave them a much better match.”

GBS followed up its showing at the tournament with a 4-1 win Monday over Latin in Chicago .

In singles play, the Titans swept the Romans in straight sets in all three matches.

Sophomore Caroline Ryba took No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-1 and freshmen Annemarie Emme and Jessica Chepurda won their Nos. 2 and 3 singles matches, respectively.

“This season, it definitely raises the level of competition at practice (to have the younger girls on varsity),” said Nicolotti. “It’s more of an emphasis on the other girls to work hard and to continue to improve. I also think that it’s great to have them on varsity this year because they’re getting exposure to what the competition in the state is going to be like.”

At first doubles, junior Mary Friedman and senior Diana Diaconu dropped a 7-6, 6-1 decision to their Latin counterparts.

The No. 2 doubles pair of freshman Martina Dragoytchev and junior Allie Sonneborn prevailed 6-4, 6-0.

“I do sort of feel like the girls played very well, but we could use a little bit more work on implementing doubles strategies when we play,” said Nicolotti. “That’s something that we can continue to practice and work on and hopefully improve upon.”

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