GBS Tennis: Titans Continue Hot Streak, Edge Out GBN

isn’t new to playing without their full lineup. Just last weekend the Titans won a tournament without two of their top players. So when the boys' tennis team went on a quick road trip to rival Glenbrook North still without senior Konrad Ryba, they remained confident.

Paced by freshman Sam Hoogland’s victory in No. 1 singles, the Titans edged Glenbrook North, 4-3, in a CSL crossover match on Wednesday.

“To win without one of your better players is always nice,” Coach Larry Faulkner said. “And to beat our sister school, our rival school is always nice.”

Hoogland avenged a loss last weekend to Glenbrook North’s Brian Levitas. The freshman hung on for a 6-4 win in the first set and put Levitas away by taking the second set, 6-3.

“I was struggling with my serve a lot last weekend and I think Brian came up big on a couple big points,” Hoogland said of lasts weekend’s loss to Levitas in the Libertyville Liberty Bell Tournament. “I had a match point and he came up big and hit a winner.”

Just a freshman, Hoogland has proven to be a valuable addition to Glenbrook South’s squad. Even with Ryba’s injury, Hoogland said he’s more than willing to take on the role being a top singles players.

“Sam is an excellent player," Faulkner said. "He’s got all the tools and is a hard worker. He has a lot of fun. That’s exactly what you want out of a player.”

The Titans split four doubles matches with Glenbrook North. Michael Sellitto and Michael Levin combined to beat Glenbrook North’s No. 1 doubles team, 6-3, 6-1.

Faulkner is happy with how the doubles teams are coming together. On April 12, Sellitto and Levin defeated Highland Park’s No. 1 doubles team, which was the 2010 state runner-up.

Michael Baddeloo and Will Lyon got a victory in the No. 3 doubles slot, 6-4, 6-3, for the Titans.

Merrick Topping had Glenbrook South’s other singles victory, outlasting Glenbrook North’s Brian Eisenberg, 6-3, 7-5, in No. 3 singles to clinch the victory for Glenbrook South. None of the seven matches went to a third set.

Faulkner hopes to have Ryba back before a busy weekend for Glenbrook South. Half of the team will travel to an eight-team invitational hosted by Moline while some varsity members – including Ryba if he’s healthy – will stay and play in a quad match.

“We’ve definitely beaten a lot of good teams -- We beat Highland Park [on Tuesday],” Hoogland said. “Konrad being out is a struggle because he’s one of our top players. We need to get him back in the lineup, but even with him out we’re still winning matches and doing well.”