Lake County, Elgin escape tight races for Region IV crowns
Competitive tennis ruled the weekend as the College of Lake County and Elgin Community College escaped extremely tight points races to capture 2018 NJCAA Region IV Women's Tennis Championships in Divisions I and III, respectively. The Lancers earned 18.5 points to surpass runner-up Waubonsee Community College by 1/2 point, while the Spartans and Illinois Valley Community College came down to a single match in their head-to-head battle.
Division I
In Palos Hills, Illinois, three teams emerged as automatic qualifiers for the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships in Tyler, Texas, from May 5-10, 2019. Lake County and Waubonsee were joined by third place Moraine Valley Community College. The Lancers earned three singles titles and one doubles crown, while also picking up a second-place finish in doubles. Sophomore Sjana Henderson took home the individual crown in the top singles flight with a straight sets win, and the tandem of freshman Brooke Zielke and sophomore Jasmine Abunaim of MVCC also needed just two sets to earn the win in the top doubles flight.
College of Lake County head coach Jim Love was named the Region IV Coach of the Year, while sophomore Grace Ely of Sauk Valley Community College won the Sportsmanship Award.
2018 NJCAA Region IV Division I Women's Tennis Tournament Final Results (pdf)
Singles: Flight #1 | Flight #2 | Flight #3 | Flight #4 | Flight #5 | Flight #6
Doubles: Flight #1 | Flight #2 | Flight #3
Final Team Standings
1. College of Lake County - 18.5 points
2. Waubonsee Community College - 18 points
3. Moraine Valley Community College - 11.5 points
4. Morton Community College - 10 points
5. Sauk Valley Community College - 7 points
6. Milwaukee Area Technical College - 2.5 points
7. Oakton Community College - 0 points
Division III
In Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the two-team battle between Elgin Community College and Illinois Valley Community College came down to a single match before the Spartans came out on top to earn a spot in the NJCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships in Peachtree City, Georgia, from November 24. The two teams split the six singles flights before ECC took two of three in doubles. Freshman Cyra Oh finished atop the #1 singles flight for Elgin, and joined with sophomore Alejandra Abella to win the top doubles brackets.
Clark Hallpike of Elgin Community College was named the Region IV Coach of the Year.
2018 NJCAA Region IV Division III Women's Tennis Tournament Final Results (pdf)