PEORIA — Julia Wojtowicz and Shikha Agarwal dominated the high school girls tennis landscape this season.
When they played a head-to-head match on Sept. 30, it was essentially a championship match for the Peoria area. Richwoods senior Wojtowicz won that tense duel over Dunlap’s Agarwal, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6).
Wojtowicz ends her prep career as 2023 Journal Star Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
IHSA tennis:Dunlap girls make history to lead Peoria-area players at state
Agarwal, the splendid Dunlap senior, finishes up with IHSA Class 1A second-team all-state honors and led the Eagles to a third-place finish, the highest in the history of the school’s girls tennis program.
“It’s still so surreal to be part of this,” Dunlap coach Pat Gornik said days later. “I went back and looked through all the records. This is only the third time we’ve had a boys or girls team since 1991 win a quarterfinal match at state.
“It really puts it into perspective. Shikha gets to 100 career wins, we finish third at state. We went in not expecting anything but to play each match as it comes. We came out with an historic performance.
“We all signed the trophy. I have a silver sharpie we use. Their names are on the back of it for as long as we have that state trophy. Really, that’s a powerful thing.”
So is the 2023 Journal Star all-area girls tennis team:
Julia Wojtowicz, Richwoods
The senior reached 100 career wins in her decorated career, while playing from the No. 1 slot in singles and with Olivia Reynolds in doubles. She put together a 40-12 combined record this season and is the 2023 Journal Star Player of the Year for successive seasons; she shared the honor with Reynolds last year.
Wojtowicz teamed with Reynolds to finish third in doubles at state last season. Bumped up to Class 2A, their 2023 run together produced a 3-2 mark at state to reach the fourth round of consolation. They were dropped into a first-round bracket matchup against No. 1 seeds Maia and Estela Loureiro of Orland Park Sandburg, who went on to win the state title.
More:100 wins, helicopters and New York: The unique journey of a Richwoods tennis ace
Shikha Agarwal, Dunlap
The powerful senior No. 1 singles player put together a 33-8 record and was at the heart of the leadership on a team that produced Dunlap’s best finish ever at state. She won her first three matches at state and gained the consolation quarterfinals to earn second-team all-state honors in Class 1A. Agarwal won the Mid-Illini Conference singles championship and finished her high school career with 133 wins and as a four-time Mid-Illini first-team all-conference selection.
More:How two Peoria tennis stars took different paths to the game, and to 100 career varsity wins
Sophie Muir and Alassea Michel, Dunlap
Muir, a senior, and Michel, a sophomore, combined for a 32-7 doubles record and went on to win the Galesburg Sectional doubles title. The tandem won 23 consecutive matches before taking a loss in the semifinals of the Class 1A state finals.
They went 5-1 at state, finishing in third place to earn first-team all-state honors after a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 battle over Chicago University’s Tara Sawhney and Isabela Ji. Muir and Michel matched last year’s effort by Richwoods’ Wojtowicz and Reynolds for the highest finish by Peoria area girls in more than 30 years.
Brianna Bessert and Emma Hernandez, Metamora
The seniors teamed up for a 22-8 doubles record from the No. 1 slot this season and earned second-team Mid-Illini all-conference honors.
They won the Morton Sectional doubles crown and led Metamora to a second-place team finish, missing the team title by one point. Bessert and Hernandez went 3-2 at Class 1A state finals, beating Dunlap doubles tandem Emily Klemens and Isabella Gusso along the way to reach the fourth round of the consolation bracket.
Maya Baman, Dunlap
The sophomore finished runner-up in the Galesburg Sectional singles draw to teammate and champion Shikha Agarwal.
Baman went 30-15 as Dunlap’s No. 2 singles player this season, and went on a five-match run at Class 1A state, winning three times to reach the fourth round of the consolation finals. She earned third-team all-state honors.
She was part of a Dunlap team that won the Mid-Illini Conference tournament for the fifth time in seven years.
Olivia Reynolds, Richwoods
The junior piled up a 44-10 record combined playing No. 2 singles and her last 11 doubles matches ahead of state with partner Julia Wojtowicz.
The terrific athlete earned her 100th varsity career win late in the season, and teamed with Wojtowicz to finish second in the Richwoods Sectional. Their Class 2A state run included a 3-2 match record as they reached the consolation fourth round.
Hailey Gerlach, Washington
The senior went 25-10 combined as Washington’s No. 1 singles player and teamed with Annabelle Hiel on the Panthers No. 1 doubles tandem. The Tri-County tennis tournament Women’s Open runner-up last summer, she earned Mid-Illini Conference first-team honors.
Theresa Bartelme, Richwoods
The junior finished fourth in the Richwoods Sectional singles draw to gain a shot in the Class 2A state finals, where she dropped both her matches. Bartelme went 30-11 working out of all three singles slots in the Richwoods lineup.
Lauren Poole, Metamora
The sophomore went 19-5 in the Redbirds No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots and earned Mid-Illini Conference first-team honors.
Honorable mention
Chloe Kendall, fr. Morton; Lexi Burton, so., Metamora; Emily Klemens-Isabella Gusso, Dunlap; Annabelle Hiel, jr., Washington; Lauren Kottabi, sr., Morton.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.