Girls State Tennis: Stellar finish for Joliet Catholic’s Hutchison
By Josh Krockey For Sun-Times Media October 20, 2012 7:04PM
Updated: November 22, 2012 6:51AM
Moments like Saturday were among the reasons why Harley Hutchison returned to high school tennis this season.
Representing Joliet Catholic for the last time, Hutchison finished the state tournament with an appearance in the consolation bracket’s Round of 16 in Rolling Meadows. Her performance is believed to be the best for an individual since the co-educational school was formed in 1990.
“I was really happy with the way I played,” said Hutchison, who competed on the club level as a junior.
“I never did this well before at the state tournament. And to be able to finish my high school career with a state match, it was just really great.”
Joliet West co-op’s Caitlin Shea lost her only match and was eliminated in the fifth round of the consolation draw.
Hutchison played twice, the first match resulting in a 7-5, 6-2 win over Quincy’s Kadi Fauble. Time constraints, resulting largely from rainouts Friday, forced Hutchison to return to the court just 20 minutes later to play Warren’s Karyna Bihel.
The match was Bihel’s first of the day and the extra rest helped her greatly in posting an 8-4 win, the contest played under a “pro set” format with no ad scoring.
“She was a little more fresh than me,” Hutchison said. “She was attacking all my shots because I couldn’t hit them past the service line.”
Hutchison finished the tournament with a 5-2 record, running her season mark to 25-6. She won three of five matches in her previous state appearance in 2010.
“She played extremely well,” Joliet Catholic coach Mark Streitz said. “I was very happy. Anytime you get that far, no matter who you are, it’s a great accomplishment.”
Shea also played under pro set rules in her 8-4 loss to Metea Valley’s Kelsey Chin. Shea won four of her six matches in the three-day tournament.
In the team standings, Joliet Catholic (8) tied for 30th and Joliet West co-op (5) had a share of 46th.
