The Lake Forest College women's tennis team placed fourth in
Friday's (October 16) Midwest Conference Team Championship
Tournament and then confirmed that placing by collecting the
fourth-highest point total in the doubles and singles tournaments
on Saturday and Sunday (October 17-18).
Highlighting the weekend for Lake Forest were a pair of conference
titles in singles on Sunday.
Freshman Melika
Celebic (Visoko, Bosnia Herzegovina/United World College)
staked her claim as the league's top player by claiming the
championship at the top spot in the lineup, despite entering the
tourney as the #4 seed and wearing a teammates' shoes. She rolled
to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Grinnell College's top player in the
quarterfinals, defeated Lawrence University's best 6-2, 6-4 in the
semifinals, and then avenged one of her few losses this season by
knocking off the #1 from St. Norbert College 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the
final. Celebic is the Foresters' first conference champion at #1
singles since Kris Ang accomplished the feat in 1989.
The weekend's competition was the last for head coach Chris Pier,
who is stepping down after 14 years with the program. She commented
on Celebic's championship performance. "The field at #1 singles was
as strong as I've seen in this conference and Melika played amazing
tennis to finish on top. Both players made incredible shots in the
final and showed a lot of heart in a tough three-set match. It's
exciting for Melika and great for our program to have another
champion at #1 singles."
Junior Lauren
Stroner (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) posted three convincing
victories to capture the title at #5. Like Celebic, she did not
surrender a game in her quarterfinal match against Knox. Stroner
also routed her opponent from St. Norbert 6-2, 6-1 in the
semifinals and then defeated the #5 player from Beloit College 6-4,
6-2 in the championship match to complete the season undefeated
against conference foes.
"I could see the determination and desire in Lauren's eyes from the
start of the tournament," recalled Pier. "She improved tremendously
throughout the season and finished by playing her best tennis of
the year on Sunday."
Three other Foresters reached the semifinals at their respective
positions. Senior Molly
Stapleton (St. Louis Park, Minn./Saint Louis Park) played a
pair of close matches, prevailling 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the
quarterfinals before falling 7-5, 6-4 in the semis. Sophomore
Allison Hamel (Bend, Ore./Bend) won 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) in the
quarterfinals before dropping a 6-1, 6-1 decision to the eventual
champion at #4. Junior Natalie
Atroshenko (Wheeling, Ill./Buffalo Grove) routed her
quarterfinal opponent 6-0, 6-1 and fell 6-4, 6-3 in the
semifinals.
At #2 singles sophomore Nonie Carson
(Littleton, Colo./Littleton) was defeated in the quarterfinals but
rebounded for a 10-1 victory in the consolation semifinals. She
then fell 10-5 in the consolation final.
All three Forester doubles teams reached the semifinals before
falling to the eventual champions on Sunday. Celebic and Carson
recorded a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 triumph in the quarterfinals at #1.
Stapleton and Atroshenko had to win a play-in match (6-3, 6-1) to
advance to the quarterfinals at #2, where they prevailed again 6-3,
6-4. The duo won the first semifinal set 6-3 before falling 6-3 in
the second and 6-0 in the third. Stroner and sophomore Sara Bennett
(Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) posted a 6-2, 6-3 quarterfinal
victory at #3.
The Foresters, who finished the season with an overall record of
10-6-1 and an MWC South Division mark of 3-1, will lose Stapleton
and fellow senior Viri Del
Bosque (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) to graduation in May.
Melika Celebic and Lauren Stroner Claim Singles Titles at MWC Tournament
Posted: Oct 18, 2009
October 22, 2009
Melika Celebic Named Forester Athlete of the Week
October 16, 2009
Lake Forest Finishes Fourth at Midwest Conference Team Tournament
October 13, 2009
Foresters Finish Regular Season with 9-0 Victory at Robert Morris
October 7, 2009
Darkness Leaves Lake Forest and Carroll Deadlocked
October 6, 2009
Molly Stapleton Named Midwest Conference Performer of the Week
October 3, 2009
Foresters Blank Knox College Indoors
September 26, 2009
Lake Forest Splits First Two Conference Matches of the Season
September 23, 2009
Foresters Win Close Match at Beloit College
September 19, 2009
Lake Forest Falls to Visiting Cornell, Prevails at Wisconsin Lutheran
September 17, 2009
Melika Celebic Named Forester Athlete of the Week
September 12, 2009
Foresters Blank Mount Mary for Fourth Straight Win
September 11, 2009
Lake Forest Posts 8-1 Victory over Visiting Lawrence
September 10, 2009
Molly Stapleton Named Forester Athlete of the Week
September 5, 2009
Foresters Blank Ripon for Second Straight Victory
September 3, 2009
Lake Forest Blanks Benedictine in Home Opener
September 2, 2009
Foresters Fall at North Central to Open 2009 Season
