Hinsdale Central clinches state title before tournament’s final day

BUFFALO GROVE — Regardless of what happens on Saturday, the Hinsdale Central girls tennis team will be state champions.

The Red Devils, who shared the state title with Lake Forest a year ago, finished with 44 points on Friday. Lyons and Stevenson are tied for second with 33, and neither team can score 11 points on Saturday. New Trier is currently fourth with 22 points.

Both of the Red Devils’ doubles teams — sophomore Erika Oku and freshman Stepanie Dolehide, and senior Rugile Valiunaite and junior Sandra Keta — will play in the state semifinals on Saturday morning.

Hinsdale Central sophomore Isabella Lorenzini beat Latin freshman Alessandra Bianco 7-5, 7-6 (4) on Friday to set up a rematch with Naperville Central junior Tiffany Chen in the state semifinals. Chen beat Lorenzini to win the 2013 state singles championship. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Chen defeated Stevenson senior Kendall Kirsch 7-6 (6), 6-2.

The other semifinal will feature Lyons freshman Meg Kowalski and Carmel senior Brienne Minor. Kowalski beat Warren junior Karyna Bihel 6-3, 6-4 and Minor defeated Palatine freshman Asuka Kawai 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

The top four seeds advanced to the state semifinals in singles, but doubles was less predictable. Lyons’ Megan Hickey and Stefana Vasic upset top-seeded Zoe Taylor and Kaylin Dong of Stevenson 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the fourth round. Hickey, a senior, and Vasic, a junior, then beat Glenbrook North’s Colette O’Regan and Catherine O’Regan 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. They will play Oku and Dolehide on Saturday morning.

Valiunaite and Keta will play Stevenson junior Vinaya Rao and freshman Katherine Harvey in their semifinal match. Rao and Harvey beat Kaneland’s Angelica Emmanouil and Madison Jurcenko 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals to advance.