The LT varsity girls tennis team placed third at the IHSA state tournament held in Buffalo Grove during the weekend of Oct. 25-26. Meg Kowalski ’18, and doubles team Meghan Hickey ’15 and Stefana Vasic ’16 placed fourth overall after three days of play.

After winning five matches, Kowalski lost the semifinals and third place match, which determined her overall standing.

“I’m happy with how I performed, but I wish I could’ve done better,” Kowalski said.

As a freshman, Kowalski’s fourth place finish is promising to the future of LT varsity tennis. She entered the state tournament 29-0, and ended with a 29-2 record after losing to Carmel and Naperville Central.

“She’s incredible,” Sophie Allison ’16 said. “She’s a great player.”

Coach Bill Wham sat on the court during the semifinals and the third/fourth playoff, which allowed him to coach during changeovers.

“He was able to calm me down, because I got stressed a lot,” Kowalski said. “It was nice to have him as a supportive side.”

Early on, Allison and doubles partner Joie Reisch ’18 lost their first match to Barrington. After the initial loss, they won three consecutive matches and earned a total of three points for LT.

“We played as well as we could, especially for not playing together in the season,” Allison said. “I’m using it as motivation to do better next season.”

Last season concluded the LTHS tennis careers of nine 2014 graduates, who left the varsity team with one senior and a combination of younger players. Out of the six players on the state team, only one had been on it before.

“I think with having a team of players who had never participated in the state tournament we did very well,” Allison said.

Hickey and Vasic won their first five matches earning 12 points for the team, and Jelly Bosovic ’17 contributed six points to the team’s overall score of 33.

At the commencement of the tournament, the girls were divided between 12 state tournament sites, and as the tournament came to a close, the remaining players were moved to the same site which allowed the LT team to cheer for their competing teammates.

“As a team, I think we really pulled through for the girls who made it towards the end of the bracket,” Allison said. “It was awesome to see the rest of the team come out and support [the remaining players].”

Even though the team finished third overall, Wham believes they have a chance at first or second next year.

“The team as a whole played exceptionally well,” Wham said. “Everyone participated, so it wasn’t an average performance, it was an excellent performance.”