By Shelby Burget
The season for the Macomb High girls tennis team wrapped up this weekend in Illinois High School Association Class 1A Sectional competition at Dunlap.
In singles play, Sydney Hamm received an opening- round bye before defeating Geneseo’s Stella Smith in the second round, rallying for a 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-1 victory.
In the quarterfinals, Hamm was defeated by top-seeded Anna Yu of Dunlap 6-0, 6-1.
Also in singles play, Lucy Platt received an opening- round bye, but lost her match to Peoria Notre Dame’s Madelyn Monge 6-4, 6-2.
Yu won the singles title, while Monge finished third, both qualifying for next week’s state finals.
In doubles competition, the Bomber duo of Darah McFadden and Griffin Schuable won their opening-round match, defeating Peoria Christian’s Sadie Davidson and Elsie Springer 6-2, 6-4.
McFadden and Schauble would lose their second-round match to the No. 6 seeded team of Fareeda Alkhalaf and Christina Mata 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Alkhalaf and Mata lost their quarterfinal round match to Dunlap’s Melaina Humbles and Berkeley Stigall, the No. 3 seed, 6-1, 6-2.
Macomb’s second doubles team consisting of Addison Bainter and Sophie Hanson received an opening-round bye. The pair defeated Sterling Newman Central Catholic’s Elise Vander Bleek and Grace Tobias 6-2, 6-2.
Reaching the quarterfinals, Bainter and Hanson were defeated by top-seeded Isabella Gusso and Katherine Brewer from Dunlap 6-0, 6-0.
Gusso and Brewer went on to claim the doubles title in advancing to the state tournament. Humbles and Stigall also earned spots for the state tournament.
In the team competition, Macomb finished tied for fourth with 10 points.
Dunlap claimed the team title with 35 points. Peoria Notre Dame was second with 19 points, followed by Rock Island Alleman (14).
Macomb, Geneseo and Sterling H.S., all finished with 10 points each.
Peoria Christian finished seventh with four points, followed by Galesburg H.S. (two), Sterling Newman Central Catholic (two) and Kewanee H.S. (sero).
The top four singles players and the top four doubles teams from each of the 16 sectionals will play in the IHSA Class 1A State Finals scheduled to begin Thursday at Hershey.
