Members of the girls tennis team advanced to the 1A IHSA State Tournament, ultimately placing fifth among 52 teams and with a doubles team in the finals. One week prior, at sectionals, the team finished 2nd of 11 teams.

Corona Chen, Paola Almeda and Kriti Sarav each qualified for the competition which took place on Oct. 20-22 at Buffalo Grove High School. 

Corona, a senior, competed in the singles tournament, winning four of her six matches. Paola, a sophomore, and Kriti, a senior, played together in the doubles tournament, winning back-to-back matches all the way until the final round. They placed second in the state for their division. 

Their last match was dramatic: at match point, a brief medical timeout was called after the ball struck Paola, leaving her with a bloody nose. When the play continued, the final point went against U-High.

“It was definitely a crazy match point,” Kriti said of the final game. “We definitely had a really good tournament. I mean, getting second in the state is a really, really huge accomplishment. And it was really fun – the whole season.”