On October 7, West Chicago Community High School’s girls’ Varsity tennis teams attended the UEC Championship at South Elgin High School where they earned a second-place finish, just behind Glenbard South.
Overall, the team went 8-1 in conference matches, and 9-3 including out-of-conference matches.
For senior Ayelin Vellikara, who has been a part of the tennis team for all four years, the conference meet was a bittersweet end to her high school athletic career.
“This season was a lot of fun. Our team’s dedication paid off in the end as we finished second in the conference,” Vellikara said.
Vellikara, who was inspired to play by her brother, also a tennis player, formed strong relationships with her teammates.
The team had a great bond which was strengthened by a “great time practicing together and going out to grab food after the games,” Vellikara said.
This year, the team saw a shift in coaching staff, as long-time head coach Fred Toms moved to JV, and Noah Baker stepped up to advise the Varsity players. Baker used to play tennis in high school and half a year in college at Calvin College. He is now in his third year of coaching at WEGO, a fact he found surprising considering he never saw himself being a coach in the first place.
When he got out the army during the COVID pandemic, Baker felt like he had a “gap” in his life; his sister’s father-in-law, Toms, was looking for a boys’ JV tennis coach, and Baker thought it would be a good idea to “fill that mentorship void for me for a sport I love and also help out my sister’s father-in-law at the same time.”
Baker moved to girls’ tennis in August, and since then, he has been proud of the team’s achievements. There have been some notable moments throughout the season in which Baker felt the team truly demonstrated skill and tenacity.
“[In] the second round of our conference tournament, my second and fourth doubles were down pretty hard to their opponents, and they fought through it made some adjustments and came back to win,” Baker said.
One of the toughest aspects of the 2023 season was the fact so many players were out sick at any given time; the team had to be flexible, and adapt as much as possible.
“I feel like we had a really good season from start to finish. We always had at least one girl out sick during this season so we really made the most out of practice when we were all there. At the end of the season, we were able to secure second place as a team in the Upstate 8 conference and we all had a really good time,” senior co-captain Judith Benitez said.
Nine of the team’s members – also including seniors Arely Jacobo, Briana Guerrero, Xitlaly Garcia, ?, Dana Tomasevic, Maizy Jury, and Maria Silva – will graduate this spring, leaving a gap that will be difficult to fill. However, Baker and the younger players are looking forward to stepping back on the courts next August.
One of those younger players is Wildcat Chronicle Athlete of the Week Julia Koput, a sophomore who finished her season 17-3, and placed second in her flight in the UEC conference tournament. Koput also had first-place finishes in the Glenbard North’s Samantha Salazar Memorial tournament, and the Willowbrook District 88 classic early in the year.
“I hope to make it through regionals next year,” Koput said.
