Trojans host sectional next week
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The rest of the Rock Valley Conference has spent all season chasing the East Troy High School girls tennis team.
And they still haven’t caught them.
East Troy, which ran the table through the dual meet season, closed out its second straight tournament and overall championship last week at UW-Whitewater.
The Trojans, who finished the regular season at 24-0 overall and 5-0 in conference dual meets, tallied 32 points to finish ahead of McFarland’s 24, Big Foot’s 20, Jefferson’s 14, Whitewater’s 11 and Edgerton’s nine.
In the final standings, East Troy was first, followed by a second-place tie between Big Foot and McFarland, Jefferson, Whitewater and Edgerton.
“I’m incredibly proud of this team, who really came to compete, as they have all year,” East Troy coach Dave Lindow said. “There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your team hold up a conference trophy that they earned together. It takes a lot of hard work to achieve this, and we did it.”
Bringing home conference titles were senior Sydney Raddeman at No. 2 singles, the No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Olivia Fitch and junior Emma Scurek and the No. 3 duo of juniors Olivia Egle and Emily Stern.
Raddeman, who won her second straight title, had a first-round bye, followed by a 6-0, 6-3 win over Jefferson senior Eryn Warner.
In the finals, she defeated Edgerton freshman Syliva Fox, 6-0, 6-0.
“I’m so proud of Syd, who just competes hard every point,” Lindow said. “One of the best competitors I’ve ever coached.”
At No. 2 doubles, Fitch-Scurek advanced with a 7-5, 6-1 win over McFarland sophomores Sadie Bartzen and Sarah Kopp, 7-5, 6-1, then claimed the title with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory over the Big Foot-Williams Bay senior duo of Annie Rowe and Keaton Sperling.
“They played solid tennis and kept the ball in play,” Lindow said. “The second set in the finals was one of their best of the year.”
East Troy’s third title came at No. 3 doubles. Egle-Stern defeated McFarland juniors Kimiya Pournik and Lauren Shields, 6-0, 6-3, followed by a 7-5, 6-3 win over Big Foot junior Katie Kirschlager and senior Faith Long.
The win over the Big Foot duo avenged a loss to the Chiefs earlier in the season, Lindow said.
East Troy has a chance at a fourth title, as freshman Lauren Lindow’s championship match against Jefferson senior Anna Kallsen was suspended after the first set.
Kallsen won the opening set, 7-5. The two will finish the match Thursday at UW-Whitewater.
Lindow, the top seed, advanced to the final with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Big Foot’s Hannah Palmer in the second round.
East Troy also had one second-place effort and two thirds, as all 10 Trojans in the field came home with a medal, the first time that’s happened in school history.
At No. 3 singles, junior Jessica Tess advanced to the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Jefferson freshman Gracie Niebler, but fell, 6-1, 4-6, 4-10 to McFarland freshman Laura Maudlin in the title matchup.
Placing third were junior Izzy Galluzzo at No. 4 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of freshmen Sophia Rondeau and Katie Metcalf.
The Trojans now turn their focus to the postseason and the WIAA Division 2 subsectional Monday at Racine Prairie. Action in that meet begins at 8 a.m.
East Troy hosts the sectional next Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 8:30 a.m.
Six of the state’s top-10 teams reside in the sectional, led by top-ranked University School of Milwaukee. Also in the field with the fifth-ranked Trojans are third-ranked Waukesha Catholic Memorial, seventh-ranked Racine Prairie, eighth-ranked Brookfield Academy and 10th-ranked Shorewood.
“Our sectional is the toughest in the state, but I believe that we can compete with these teams,” Lindow said. “… We will be ready and give it our best shot.”
Trojans win finale
East Troy closed out its regular season Monday afternoon with a 7-0 non-conference win over Kenosha Bradford.
Picking up singles victories were Lindow at No. 1, 6-1, 6-0; Raddeman at No. 2, 6-0, 6-0; Tess at No. 3, 6-1, 6-2; and Galluzzo at No. 4, 6-0,4-6, 10-6.
Winning doubles matches were Rondeau-Metcalf at No. 1, 6-2, 6-1; Fitch-Scuric at No. 2, 6-1, 2-6, 10-1; and Egle-Stern at No. 3, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-8.
