ANNOUNCEMENTS

5/19/24 WEEK 12 UPDATE

Well here we are at the conclusion of our season that snuck up on us so fast. It's hard to believe that our start date was 2.5 months ago with all that we've done this season. Our varsity had a last bit of business left on their to-do list this last week with 2 last dual meets against Grant (won 5-0) and Barrington (lost 0-5) plus their participation win the IHSA Sectional. Although the boys played valiently, we just couldn't get far enough into the tournament to get a state qualifier this year. Dispite that, there were some standouts on Friday that really brought some of their best tennis to end their seasons....2 doubles team Derek Passaglia/Ryan Dixon played their very best tennis this season as they played toe-to-toe with the Barrington 2 doubles  definitely giving them a run for their money...it was a GREAT match to watch! Also, Jackson Karlovsky remained on fire as he upset the 1 singles player from Hampshire to get his first sectional win and give 2 points to the team total. He also earned his 20th win of the season with that match win...which he was very much aware of! It was a great day of weather and a great of tennis made even better with all the parents in attendance to watch not only the last matches of the season, but for some, the last matches of their son's career.

Such a great season with so many milestones hit and great memories to take with us...both the JV and Varsity boys have so much to be proud of and they have also brought a lot of pride to Cary-Grove tennis. I look forward to reminiscing with you all at Tuesday's End of Season Awards Night directly following our parent/player tournament. We certainly have A LOT to celebrate! I want to start promptly at 5pm so we can finish and transition into our awards  time and not keep you too late. You are more than welcome to arrive as early as 4:30 if you'd like to warmup at all, but please arrive at the courts by 4:45 if at possible. At the culmination of the tournament portion, we will head on up to the cafeteria for awards, dessert and pictures. I look forward to seeing you all then!

5/12/24 WEEK 11 UPDATE

This was the last official week for both JV and Varsity program together....from here on out it will be just varsity participating in post-season play. JV closed it out with a last FVC win over McHenry along with a pizza party on match day also. Varsity also got the FVC win putting them 5-2 in the FVC for the season and tied for 2nd place with PR in points, behind Jacobs in the regular season standings. 

Varsity also had their own FVC conference tourney which varsity did outstanding in and finished as Co-Champions with Jacobs (needed only 1 more point!), This really is an outstanding accomplishment for our guys and the first time our boys team has achieved it since 1994. Looking at the plaque which has past winners on it since 2009, besides Grayslake Central (who is no longer in our FVC) who won it in 2011 and Huntley (won it outright in 2018 and were co-champs in 2021) the only other team champions on the plaque are PR & Jacobs, who have had some top individual powerhouse players come through their programs over the years.  We have come so close in a few past years but just couldn't pull it off until now. Our guys have a lot to be proud of coming in as underdogs this season (we pretty much are every season) and walking away as a FVC co-champions battling every single match with none of them coming easy. So with the varsity and JV FVC tournament championships claimed, we are the first FVC team in history to have won both the JV & Varsity conference in the same season. Well done gentlemen!!!

So with JV and varsity regular season complete, we now move on to varsity post-season with one more match at home on Tuesday against both Grant & Barrington, and Sectionals coming up this Friday & Saturday. We also hope that we can qualify a player(s) for the State Tournament from our sectional so there are some very important matches coming up. All varsity players will continue to practice through Thursday. We also have our Parent/Player end of season tournament on Tuesday May 21 at 5pm so make sure to get signed up on our Google form...we expect to see all players and HOPE to see all parents as this is what make the event to much fun. Do not worry about your level of play...there are ALL kinds so don't be shy! Click HERE to access the sign up form and PLEASE sign up by THIS Friday 5/17!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: V only practice 3-5PM (JV can still come hit on their own on the back courts any day after school on varsity practice days)

TUE: Double Dual match Grant & Barrington (V-home); 4PM

WED: V only practice 3-5PM

THU: V only practice 3-5PM + last team dinner (Petropoulos)

FRI: V IHSA Sectional Tournament - Day 1 (Jacobs/Dundee-Crown); start time 10AM

SAT: V IHSA Sectional Tournament - Day 2 (Jacobs); start time-TBD

**TUE 5/21: ALL TEAM PARENT/PLAYER END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT

5/5/24 WEEK 10 UPDATE

The season is winding down as we head into one last V/JV dual against McHenry and then post-season tournament events for varsity. Despite having one more FVC meet left, the JV went ahead and captured the FVC Tourney title for a SECOND year in a row! They went into the last day being in a total of 5 finals and two 3rd place matches...every point counted as we were neck-and-neck with Jacobs who were also in 5 finals with 3 of them against us. The boys won almost every match and enough to earn the title of repeat FVC Tourney champions. The boys had an outstanding year and deserve a lot of credit for their accomplishments. Varsity has their FVC Tourney coming up this Friday & Saturday at Huntley and Hampshire. Due to AP test conflicts we may start some matches on Thursday after school. Players will be excused from class for Friday since DAY 1 of the tourney will take place the entire day, and if weather becomes an issue, it may be moved inside to The Racket Club. More info will be available as we get closer to the date.

Tuesday will be used for a final intrasquad match with JV and varsity, and JV will also turn in all their assigned uniforms/warmups/racket bags and locks. We ask that all clothing be thoroughly washed and racket bags be emptied, wiped down on the inside and wiped down on the outside as well. Also, since we won't be seeing the JV after Tuesday, just a reminder to sign up for our parent-player tournament to be held on 5/21 from 5-7pm...a google sign-up form has been sent out via email (on 4/30) but is also provided HERE for easy access. All boys are expected to attend and I hope to see all of our parents there as well!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: McHenry match (V-away/JV-home)

TUE: V/JV Blue vs. White Intrasquad match (+ JV uniform & warmup/racket bag/lock hand-in)

WED: V only practice (whole team) + team dinner (Passaglia)

THU: V only practice or possible early FVC Tourney matches

FRI: V FVC Tournament - Day 1 (Huntley/Hampshire); team breakfast beforehand; 9am match start

SAT: V FVC Tournament - Day 2 (Huntley/Hampshire); 9am match start

4/28/24 WEEK 9 UPDATE

Well, we had a well-deserved Saturday off this weekend since it was a grind of a week having 4 match days in a row but the good part is that we had decent weather to get them all in.  JV went undefeated in all 4 matches they played bringing their record to 8-1. If weather cooperates, in addition to their duals scheduled this week, they will also have their FVC Tournament. Varsity went 3-1 this week with a great night celebrating our seniors on Tuesday after our Hampshire match and an outstanding win against Huntley on Thursday to wrap up the week. It really was an TEAM effort. All good stuff before going head-to-head with our toughest FVC opponent to date, Jacobs, this Monday.

We have anod

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: Jacobs match (V-home/JV-away)

TUE: Crystal Lake South match (V-away/JV-home)

WED: JV FVC Tournament - Day 1 (CLS/Jacobs); V practice 3-5PM + team dinner (Deal)

THU: Dundee-Crown match (V-home/JV away)

FRI: JV FVC Tournament - Day 2 (CLS/Jacobs); V practice 3-5PM

SAT: JV-Warren Invite/V-CLC Invite (CLC/PR)

4/21/24 WEEK 8 UPDATE

Another week of cancellations due to weather and so is the nature of spring sports. We have several rescheduled matches plugged in to the next 2 weeks to make our busy schedule even busier so hang on while things take off. 

So, with the light past week, both levels notched 7-0 sweeps of Grayslake North and Varsity went 3-0 in the Saturday Carmel Invite.  They got wins over North Shore Country Day, Wheeling, and Carmel. The guys showed some toughness out there pulling out 3 out of 4 third-set super-breakers. 3 boys went undefeated on the day as well....Jackson Karlovsky and doubles team Derek Passaglia/Ryan Dixon. With those wins, varsity sits at 11-2, but despite the winning record, their work is not done especially with the lineup of matches these next 2 weeks. With having to still play out almost all our conference duals, there is no resting on our laurels at this point in our season.

We have 4 matches over M-TH this week...JV's Woodstock dual on Wednesday will be postponed to a possible later date to fit in our V/JV conference dual match against PR.  Due to Prom weekend coming up, there are no matches on the schedule for the weekend and no VARSITY practice on Friday. Coach Craig will communicate any JV practice on Friday. If there is one, please plan on it starting immediately following the early dismissal time at 1pm. 

PLEASE NOTE: Monday 4/29 following prom weekend is considered Senior Ditch Day. Due to our rescheduled Jacobs match on that day, ALL SENIOR ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND AT LEAST 5 PERIODS OF CLASSES TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IN THE MATCH. That is for both starters and non-starters. I know this is not ideal, but due to the weather, we had no other choice. I have communicated this multiple times with our players and expect all of them to abide by the school rules and not hinder our TEAM by not being able to compete. 

**Don't forget SENIOR NIGHT on Tuesday! It will take place rain or shine....if we have the match, it will start after the completion of the Hampshire match; if we get rained out, we will meet for the cookout, senior honors and pictures at 5:30 in the cafeteria. Communication will be made with all varsity parents and players either way. All varsity parents/family is invited and I hope all parents attend to celebrate our senior teammates!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: Grayslake Central match (V-away/JV-home)

TUE: Hampshire match & SENIOR NIGHT (V-home/JV-away)

WED: Prairie Ridge match (V-away/JV home)

THU: Huntley match (V-away/JV home)

FRI: JV practice TBD

**MON: Jacobs match (V-home/JV-away) must be at school at least 5 periods!

4/14/24 WEEK 7 UPDATE

We got most of our matches in this week...minus the rained out McHenry dual which will be made up on Monday 5/6/24. JV had a great week getting convincing wins against CLC and Lake Zurich and then taking the championship at the Grayslake North Invite for the 2nd year in a row. Our team got the advantage of the GLN Invite having last-minute team cancelations by getting to send more of our own players to make up a replacement team, giving more our guys a chance for match play which is always a good thing for growth. 

Varsity had a rough start in our FVC opener being up by 3-1 in our team score and not being able to capitilize on any of the remaining matches to get that 1 more point needed for the win. Too many unforced errors brought disappointment along with the loss, but we need to take this as a learning opportunity to grow from it. We bounced back the next day against Lake Zurich before being rained out against McHenry, but the guys really pushed through on Saturday at our Harlem Invite. Lots of strong play displayed on a long day of tennis, as well as a few players stepping up big playing in different spots to make up for ACT conflicts. The team took 2nd, beathing out a strong Homewood-Flossmoor team by 2 points and placing behind the perrenial favorite/champion and 1 of the state powerhouses, Glenbrook North.

Another full week of TOUGH matches coming up in our schedule and more possibilities of rain as well unfortunately. I will update as we go so check the Remind app as always. In the meantime, we look to see our players continue to take advantage of practice and match play this upcoming week to keep the growth in their games progressing!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: JV practice 3-5PM  / V practice 3-5:30PM

TUE: Jacobs match (V-home/JV-away)

WED: Grayslake North match (V-home/JV away)

THU: Prairie Ridge match (V-away/JV home)

FRI: JV practice 3-5PM + team dinner (Young) / V practice 3-5PM + team dinner (Ptaszek)

SAT: JV-CG Invite (home) / V-Carmel Catholic Invite

4/7/24 WEEK 6 UPDATE

Well this was not the week I pictured coming back from spring break. The plan was to get a few hard-working and productive practices in before our competitive season really takes off...and obviously the weather had different ideas. But on the bright side, we had a great Saturday of tournaments where most of our players in the program got to participate in match play. Our main JV squad went to St. Francis for a triangular and left going 1-1 with a win vs. St. Francis and a loss against a tough Hersey program. Our lower JV got to participate in a Hampshire quad and went 2-1 on the day. Our varsity was at home for our CG 8-team invite and claimed the team championship with wins over Chicago Brooks, Lake Forest Academy, and St. Francis.

Other news...BIG news...our fundraiser is officially complete and I couldn't be more amazed and GRATEFUL! We raised a little over $10000 which is just astonishing. We are going ahead with trying to purchase a ball machine and then using the rest for some score cards, a few ball carts and some new hoppers. I cannot thank all our families enough for this tremendous support...the generosity was beyond any expectation!

Starting this upcoming week, we will be transitioning from mostly practices, to mostly matches with a few practices sprinkled in here and there. The beginning of the season is so important to build the players' base of tennis knowledge, technique, and fitness, and now it's time to test it. Playing as many matches back-to-back as we do (typical spring season) can take it's toll mentally and physically on athletes and the 2 most valuable components to success are the effort and work they put in up to this point, and the support of the team of each other each day. The season will fly by from here on out and the boys will get out of it as much as they put into not only their game, but the support and energy they put into their teammates as well.

Weather is looking better for the upcoming week's schedule:

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: JV practice 3-5PM  / V practice 3-5PM + team dinner (Marrano)

TUE: CLC match (V-home/JV-away)

WED: Lake Zurich match (V-away 4:30/JV home 4:30/4:45)

THU: McHenry match (V-away/JV home)

FRI: JV & V practice 3-5PM + combined ALL team dinner (Karlovsky)

SAT: JV-Grayslake North Invite / V-Harlem Invite

3/31/24 WEEK 5 UPDATE

I hope everyone had a great spring break. Hard to believe we are back to the grind tomorrow....I vote for another day.

We have 2 weeks to update....back on March 19th, JV opened up their season against Woodstock North and walked away with convincing 5-1 win. Exhibition also had a strong showing in that match going 6-1. Great way to start the season! Hoping we can watch our JV players continue to show growth at every match opportunity throughout the season, but this was a great place to start.

Our varsity players just returned home last night from their overnight trip to Edwardsville which was night and day different from last year both weather-wise and results-wise. Though a bit windy at times, the weather was beautiful with mid to upper 70 temps and sun....the reason we go down there! We got placed in a different bracket this year, and our guys did well enough to get us to the finals where we both ran into a tough team and ran out of steam.  These were collegiate-format matches, so in the 3 rounds we played, most of our boys played both doubles and singles each round. (there is a reason we condition and will continue to do so!) The beat Marion 6-3, Belleville West 7-2 and then lost to Waterloo 2-7 in the final. It was an excellent opportunity to get great match play in so early in the season and really show us the areas we need to keep working on....always looking for GROWTH and we have plenty of work ahead of us if we want to meet our goals. Standout players this past weekend were Noah Marrano (6-0), Bryce Shechtman (5-1), and Ryan Dixon (4-1). Besides the match opportunity, it's just a fun time spent with teammates building relationships.

This week is a slow week with only 1 JV match (home vs. Mundelein--if it doesn't get rained out) but then a busy weekend with Varsity at their home 8-team tourney, JV (top JV players) at St. Francis for a triangular, and JV2 at the Hampshire quad. LASTLY...please remember to follow the google match schedule I provided at our parent/player and that can also be found here on the website under the BOYS TENNIS tab (match schedules) as that will have more accurate match start times compared to Rschool. Remember, matches will start almost immediately upon team arrival.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: JV practice 3-5:00PM (outside or inside UG)/V 3-5 outside (indoor site TBD)

TUE: JV Mundelein match (home)/ V 3-when Mundelelein arrives 

WED: JV practice 3-5:00PM (site TBD) / V 3-5PM (site TBD)

THU: JV practice 3-5:00 (outside)/V 3-5PM outside 

FRI: JV-practice 3-5PM outside + team dinner (@Wuhrman) / V-3-5PM outside + team dinner (@Dixon)

SAT: V-CG Bud Lachel Invite (CG/CLC) / JV (top players)-St. Francis Triangular / JV2-Hampshire Quad

3/16/24 WEEK 3 UPDATE

Another great week of weather out on the courts! Also, varsity had their opening match of the season against Wauconda on Friday and walked away victors with a 9-3 win. It was a fun dual not only played indoors at the club, but also using college format where there are more singles and doubles positions and players can play both singles and doubles. We capped it off with a pizza party following the match for both teams. It's a great way to kick off the season doing something a little different and fun. We saw some great tennis from our players out there, especially in the first match of the season...still plenty of room for growth but we got off on a good foot.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is our team service event at the March Madness Half Marathon. Please make sure the boys are on time at their designated site...assigned sites and times have been sent out this past week on Remind. Next Tuesday 3/19 is the JV's opening match against Woodstock North away at their courts. This is our last full week before spring break--we will have some practices over spring break for those who are around...that info will sent out in the next week...and of course the varsity squad will have their 2-day tourney down at Edwardsville. Info will be sent out regarding that this week.

Lastly, we had our team/individual pictures this past week...your athlete's photos will be posted online at vipis.com within 3 weeks of your photo day for viewing and ordering.   Please click here to sign up for email notification when your photo is ready to view and order:  www.vipis.com/q/r . If you have any questions about sports team and individual pictures, please contact Visual Image Photography at support@vipis.com  

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

SUN: ALL PLAYERS-March Madness Half Marathon service event 7:30 (Fresh)/7:45 (Soph/Jun/Sen) - 11:00 (approx)

MON: practice JV 3-5:00PM (outside or inside UG)/V 3-5:00 outside (TBD if inside); VARSITY TEAM DINNER @5:30-Landon Johnson

TUE: Woodstock North match (JV away)/ V 3-5:30PM 

WED: practice JV 3-5:00PM (outside or inside UG) / V 3-5:30PM

THU: pracitce JV 3-5:00 (outside)/V 3-5:00PM outside (or 3:30-5PM inside @TRC)

FRI: JV-practice (3-5PM outside or 3:30-5PM @TRC) / V-3-5PM

FRI. 3/29 - SAT. 3/30: Edwardsville Spring Invite 

Saturday 3/23 - Sunday 3/31: Spring Break

3/10/24 WEEK 2 UPDATE

2 weeks of the season in the books! We've had an unprecedented amount of practices outside which we are so thankful for. This upcoming week not only has more great weather for us, but a lot going on as well. Team pictures on Monday (boys need to have their uniforms w/them!), continuing week 2 of our fundraiser, and our program service event helping at the March Madness Half Marathon on Sunday morning (we we need all boys to attend!). Please see the upcoming week's schedule below:

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: team pictures @4:40; practice JV 3-5:00PM / V 3-5:30PM 

TUE: practice JV 3-5:00PM / V 3-5:30PM 

WED: practice JV 3-5:00PM / V 3-5:30PM

THU: JV/V-practice (weather pending so refer to schedule and announcement will be made)

FRI: JV-practice (3-5PM outside or 4-6PM @TRC) / V-Wauconda match 3:30-6:30PM @TRC + pizza following

SAT: OFF

SUN: ALL LEVELS: March Madness Half Marathon service event 7:30-11:00AM (site assignments will be shared during the week)

PARENT/PLAYER MEETING INFO

If you missed the meeting or just need an extra copy, you can access the info below for your convenience.

5/15/23 WEEK 11 UPDATE

My apologies for taking a while to post....things get really crazy at this time dealing with end of season scheduling, post-season play, hosting Sectionals and just wrapping up the end of season in general preparing for our Awards Night. Not to mention summer camp prep and girls season prep going on too!

JV has a lot to celebrate as they are the FIRST EVER JV FVC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPS! It was a close fight between us, CLC and Hampshire, but our guys won all their matches on Day 2 to clinch the championship. Besides the team 1st place, we also had many individual accolades: 1S-Jackson Karlovsky--1st; 2S-Leo Petropoulos--1st; 1D-Jaime Gabriel/Lincoln Karlovsky--7th; 2D-Nate Fournier/Igancy Nowik--3rd; 3D-Halen Young/Zach Nygren--1st (2 freshies!) Congrats to the players and Coach Craig! They will wrap up their season with a fun team day and uniform/gear return this Tuesday 5/16 after school. Plus don't forget about our End of Season Awards Night coming up on Tuesday, 5/23!

VARSITY had their own FVC Conference Tournament this past weekend and stayed consistent by finishing 5th as a team just as we did during our duals, although we were only 3 points behind the third place tie of Huntley and CLC....just a matter of a few of our matches that needed to go the other way that would have gained us the points to join them.  But we had a lot of other great individual finishes: 1S-Bryce Shechtman--5th place; 2S-Lewis Johnson--3rd + All Conference; 3S-Jacob Kantayya-1st + All Conference; 2D-Derek Passaglia/Ryan Dixon--3rd + All Conference; 4D-Chris Weber/Zach Mazek--2nd + All Conference. Nice finish to the regular season guys! Now....on to Sectionals which will be hosted at CG this Friday 5/19 (2pm) and Saturday 5/20 (8am)....please pray for good weather!!!!!

4/30/23 WEEK 9 UPDATE

Another full week of tennis for both squads with just 1 hiccup in the weather Saturday. JV continues their winning ways with wins over GLC, Huntley and PR. They have the momentum as they head into the FIRST EVER JV FVC TOURNAMENT starting this Wednesday after school and I know Coach Craig and the boys have their eyes on the prize. Varsity continued to have close matches with their opponents, but not quite enough to pull out the wins. We will have to keep grinding away to get our ducks in a row as we head into our final week of duals and then the FVC Tourney.

REMINDER....Varsity families (and our 1 JV senior family)--don't forget our SENIOR NIGHT on TUESDAY, MAY 2ND at our Wauconda match! We want EVERY one of you parents/family there to celebrate our SENIORS! Due to the colder temps in the forecast, after the match concludes, we will move into the lower gym for event and dinner.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: practice V & JV 3-5:30PM 

TUE: Wauconda match & SENIOR NIGHT (V-home/JV-away)

WED: V practice 3-5:00PM + team dinner at Johnson's @5:30PM/JV-DAY 1 of FVC Tourney 4PM

THU: Hampshire match (V-home/JV-away)

FRI: V practice 3-5PM + team dinner at Weber's @5:30PM/JV-DAY 2 of FVC Tourney 4PM

SAT: V: CG Bud Lachel Invitational (home)/JV: Warren Invite

*MONDAY 5/9: JV makeup match vs. St. Francis (away)

4/23/23 WEEK 9 UPDATE

Where did our beautiful weather go?! Nothing better than, sun, clouds, cold, rain, hail, and snow in the span of 2-3 hours this past Saturday....what was THAT?!

Despite the uncooperative weather this past week and some delays, varsity got most of our matches in minus 1 unfinished team dual vs. Carmel on Saturday, but JV was the opposite, only getting 1 match in. Varsity had some good wins against McHenry and GLN, but took a big hit against a tough PR team...despite some close matches we just couldn't get it done and walked away with a 1-6 loss which I KNOW we are better than. And the week we have coming up with matches against Grayslake Central, Huntley, and Jacobs, we need to be ready to bring our best tennis, so time to bounce back strong.

Another full week ahead with JV having 3 duals and a Saturday invite and varsity having 3 duals and prom (no invite...are you kidding me? Like I'm going to try to get those guys up to play tennis the next morning...). Unbelievably, we have only 3 weeks left of regular season play so it's going to fly by. Varsity families (and our 1 JV senior family)--don't forget our SENIOR NIGHT on TUESDAY, MAY 2ND at our Wauconda match! We want EVERY one of you there to celebrate our SENIORS! It will be a great evening!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: Grayslake Central match (V-home/JV-away)

TUE: Huntley match (V-home/JV-away)

WED: practice V 3-5:30PM/JV 3-5PM + team dinner at Rao's

THU: Jacobs match (V-away/JV-home)

FRI: V-NO PRACTICE (prom)/JV-practice TBD (either 1-3PM or 3-5PM); Team dinner 5:30PM (JV-Petropoulos)

SAT: JV-Barrington Challenger-home(see our website for tournament info...BOYS TENNIS tab---> TOURNAMENT INFO)

4/17/23 WEEK 8 UPDATE

We had a great weekend of weather and tournaments for both our JV and varsity with our JV guys clinching the team championship at the Grayslake North Invite, and our varsity taking team 2nd at the Harlem Invite.  Saw a lot of growth Saturday and we are wanting to continue that upward trend as we head further into the season! Another busy week ahead that could also be affected by the weather so hold on and keep the phones close by for any last minute announcements regarding our matches.

Lastly, our SENIOR NIGHT has been changed yet again (this time due to our opposing team's numbers and us wanting our seniors to get a chance to play on their night). An email has been sent out, but the new date will be Tuesday, May 2nd for our Wauconda match.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: St. Francis match (JV + varsity non-starters only-away)

TUE: McHenry match (V-home/JV-none--no JV)

WED: Grayslake North match (V-away/JV-non--canceled their JV; still trying to find another team)

THU: PR match (V-away/JV-home)

FRI: practice 3-5PM; Team dinners 5:30PM (V-Shechtman/JV-Ocheltree)

SAT: V-Carmel Invite/JV-home CG Trojan Invite (see our website for tournament info...BOYS TENNIS tab---> TOURNAMENT INFO)

4/10/23 WEEK 7 UPDATE

I hope you all had relaxing holiday weekend and got to enjoy the gorgeous weather....FINALLY some good spring weather! JV was off this weekend while varsity attended the ever-strengthening Hersey Invite. We got a schooling in our match against Fremd (possible team state champion contenders), had a competitive match against Buffalo Grove & Glenbard West, but came away 0-3 for the day. We have been in this invite for 13+ years and have been right in the middle talent-wise, but the last 5 years or so, teams have dropped out, only to be replaced by some of the strongest teams in the state, so I am definitely taking a look at what to do with this invite next year.

We have a busy week ahead for BOTH levels so make sure to check out the season calendar to stay on top of things. Also, I just sent out an email to the varsity (& 1 JV) parents regarding our upcoming Senior Night event on 4/25/23, so please check your inboxes!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

MON: practice 3-5:30pm

TUE: CLS match (V-home/JV-away)

WED: LAKE ZURICH match (V-home/JV-away)

THU: CLC match (V-away/JV-home)

FRI: practice 3-5PM; Team dinners 5:30PM (V-Deal/JV-Karlovsky)

SAT: V-Harlem Tournament/JV-Grayslake North Invite (see our website for tournament info...BOYS TENNIS tab---> TOURNAMENT INFO)

4/2/23 WEEK 6 UPDATE

I hope everyone had a great spring break....of course the weather by us was less than stellar so for those of you who got out of here, I hope you had better luck with where you were.

Varsity's work was not done even though it was break...we took our 1st annual trip down to Edwardsville for their 48-team tourney (six 8-team draws!) and it was....eventful. The wind was absolutely insane and affected not only driving down and back on the highways (Coach was definitely white-knuckling it keeping the bus straight with the wind gusts) but our matches as well; one bad storm line came through Friday night and knocked out 1/2 of the power in our hotel (boys' rooms were fine, but coach's room right next door was out for 3 hours); then between the extreme wind and cold on Saturday, we played and saw some of the ugliest tennis ever. But there was still some fun to be found and we got 3 matches in against some GREAT teams and even though we had 3 team losses, we got some great experience, team time, and a lot of learning moments that we will take with us into this next week of practices and matches. Not the weather we were hoping for, but definitely a trip that we will make an annual event for many reasons.

This week opens up our dual matches for both levels starting with Dundee-Crown Thursday afternoon--JV home & Varsity away. Varsity also has a VERY tough Hersey tournament on Saturday that has some of the top teams in the state attending. With the rainy forecast for M-W, please check your Remind messages for announcements/updates to practice schedules and as always, keep up-to-date with our Google season calendar HERE which is always being  updated with any changes.

PARENT/PLAYER MEETING INFO

If you missed the meeting or just need an extra copy, you can access the info below for your convenience.

8TH GRADE NIGHT INFO ( 1/12/23 )

IF YOU ARE AN INCOMING FRESHMAN AND INTERESTED IN PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS, PLEASE SEE INFO BELOW OR CONTACT COACH SCHUETZLE: ASCHUETZLE@D155.ORG

5/1/22 WEEK 9 WRAP UP & UPDATE

Another busy week in the books...Varsity finished the week 2-1 with some HIGH intensity matches against Huntley (4-3 W...shout out to Tom & Daniel for getting the team point to clinch the win) and Jacobs (1-6 L against an interesting Jacobs lineup...shout out to Tom & Daniel again for pulling that 2D match out!), and JV just continues to GET IT DONE going 3-0 but also with an unfortunate rainout over the weekend. Hope all our players that attended Prom on Friday had a great time! This upcoming week is going to be a doozy with both levels scheduled (key word "scheduled") to have 5 match dates over 6 days...if that 4-letter "R" word doesn't enter the picture which unfortunately looks like it might. Here is this week's schedule:

MON 5/2: V-Lake Zurich AWAY (*4-4:15 start)/JV-Lake Zurich HOME (*4:30 start) (rescheduled match)

TUE 5/3: V-Carmel Catholic HOME/JV-Carmel Catholic AWAY

WED 5/4: V-CLC HOME/JV CLC AWAY (rescheduled match)

THU 5/5: V-Hampshire AWAY/JV-Hampshire HOME

FRI 5/6: V/JV Practice 3-5/V-Team dinner @Marranos following practice

SAT 5/7: V-Palatine 16 Invite (8am; start @Buffalo Grove)/JV-Warren Quad (info TBA)

**To see updated remainder of season calendar: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kPVe6l8LURL1qTb5D7UC4Ong2-jB1TvUEZ17tWMc5Uo/edit?usp=sharing

4/24/22 WEEK 8 WRAP UP & UPDATE

Week 8 wrap up....well that's scary. Completing Week 8 means we are 2/3 of the way through season and it only feels like we've just started. This weather has surely hampered our match play so far, but our guys are doing what they can to make the most of it and keep showing improvement week after week. We got pushed this week in our matches against McHenry and PR, but stepped up to the challenges and played some great tennis.  This past weekend it continued with JV taking 2nd at their home invite (losing a CLOSE on to CLC) and varsity going 2-1 at their invite in Mundelein (also losing a close one to Carmel Catholic). All I know is when CLC and Carmel come back up in our schedule in the next weeks, we will be ready for some redemption.  Below is the next week's schedule along with a few corrections (specifically Monday's Grayslake Central match). All official changes have/will be updated on our google season calendar.

 ***Schedule updates/changes: 

MON 4/25: V-Grayslake Central HOME/JV-Grayslake Central AWAY

TUE 4/26: V-Huntley match AWAY/JV-Huntley match HOME

WED 4/27: V-Practice 3-5:30/JV-Practice 3-5 OR possible Jacobs match if Thursday still looks rainy. Will update!

THU 4/28: V-Jacobs match HOME/JV-Jacobs match AWAY

FRI 4/29: JV-Practice TBA/V-No practice-PROM

SAT 4/30: JV-Barrington Challenger Invite @CG

4/17/22 WEEK 7 WRAP UP & UPDATE

Happy Easter!  We made it through another "wonderful weather" week that got us down but not out. Varsity and JV had successful weeks with wins over CLS and Woodstock North, and over the weekend the JV earning 1st at their GLN Invite and varsity taking 2nd, pulling past Homewood-Flossmoor by 1 point, at the Harlem Invite. Both teams showed growth as we want to see continue each week! Our CLC match (which is the first time in my LIFE that I've ever seen tennis cancelled due to WIND) has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 4, and I'm still trying to work on getting our Lake Zurich match rescheduled if possible. All official changes have/will be updated on our google season calendar.

We have another full week ahead with some MORE unfortunate weather, but we will push ahead as best we can.  I've put the upcoming week's schedule below.  ***ALSO--a couple of schedule updates/changes: 

MON 4/18: Practice V 3-5:30/JV 3-5 DRESS WARM

TUE 4/19: V-McHenry match AWAY/JV-McHenry match AWAY (this has been changed since they don't have a complete JV team--we will all play there)

WED 4/20: V-Grayslake North match AWAY/JV-Grayslake North match-HOME (this has been changed to accommodate a GLN conflict)

THU 4/21: V-PR match HOME **SENIOR NIGHT**/JV-PR match AWAY

FRI 4/22: V/JV Practice 3-5/V-Team dinner @Fornellis following practice

SAT 4/23: V-Mundelein Invite (2S/3D)/JV-Cary-Grove Invite (2S/3D)

4/10/22 WEEK 6 WRAP UP & UPDATE

Well, weather was not our friend this week but with some adjustments, we were able to get our scheduled matches in which is a good thing! Tuesday we had a program sweep of FVC opponent D-C in our conference opener which was a great start. Varsity attended the VERY tough Hersey Invite and varsity came out a little smarter, tougher and closer to where they want to be. It was nice after losing to Hersey in an eye-opening manner (most likely a top 5 team at state) and Prospect (perennial strong team), that these boys refocused and readied themselves for Buffalo Grove in the 3rd round and went out and got a 6-1 win. That's the kind of fight and "love of the battle" we want to see.

For this upcoming week, we have a full schedule, with rain forecasted throughout. We will always try to reschedule any dual matches, but if a common date cannot be found, it won't be possible at times.  I've put the schedule below.  ***ALSO--a couple of schedule updates/changes: 

1) SENIOR NIGHT will be Thursday, 4/21 at our PR match.  2) Our Grayslake North dual on Wednesday, 4/20 has our levels switching sites--Varsity is AWAY/JV is HOME.

MON 4/11: Practice V 3-5:30/JV 3-5

TUE 4/12: V-CLS match AWAY/JV-Woodstock North match HOME

WED 4/13: V-Lake Zurich match AWAY/JV-Lake Zurich match-HOME

THU 4/14: V-CLC match HOME/JV-CLC match AWAY

FRI 4/15: V/JV Practice 3-5/V-Team dinner @Shechtmans following practice

SAT 4/16: V-Harlem Invite (2S/3D)/JV-Grayslake North Invite (2S/3D)

3/12/22 WEEK 2 WRAP UP

Weather wasn't great but we made do in the gym and courts at the club. Next week is a BUSY week so please make sure you check your email for the one I sent out Sunday morning laying the week's schedule out.

-Team pictures on Monday: make sure uniform is AT SCHOOL!

-Planning on outside practices M-TH this week: V goes 3-5:30/JV goes 3-5pm (Friday depends on weather)

-PLAY WITH THE TEAM FUNDRAISER: Saturday, 3/19 4-6:30pm for all parents and players

-TEAM SERVICE PROJECT: Sunday, 3/20 8-11am for all players

Also....had a great time attending the Northwestern Men's tennis match against UIC Saturday. Saw some great tennis, learned some new things and spent time as teammates alongside CLS and Jacobs tennis programs. Looking forward to next year when we can have more guys attend!

3/4/22 WEEK 1 WRAP UP

Great first week with getting to take advantage of some nice weather and get out on the courts...don't get many chances like that the first week of season! We got a lot done...varsity did their fitness and hitting evals along with some challenge matches yesterday and Coach Greenwald has been working diligently with our JV on their strokes, strategy and some doubles skills. We have officially named players to the JV and Varsity levels as of today, so you should see an email regarding that very shortly as well as another in the near future regarding the Athletic fee that will be due.

A couple important reminders on upcoming dates:

-2/4/22 Mandatory Parent & Player meeting this Friday, 5:30pm in Room C2

-2/5/22 Saturday practices for both levels: Varsity 8-9:30am @The Racket Club; JV 2-3:30pm (hopefully outside, but if not, @The Racket Club--notice will be sent out that morning)

-3/12/22 Team Trip to Northwestern Men's Tennis match: can take up to 14 guys and varsity will have first dibs--any open spots will then be up for grabs for JV.  It's a great opportunity for the guys to see some outstanding tennis at a collegiate level. Can you say AWESOME tennis and FREE pizza?! We are leaving the CG parking lot @3pm and all

5/31/21 LAST WEEK FOR ALL LEVELS! LOTS GOING ON THIS WEEK!

UPCOMING WEEK UPDATE:

Tuesday 6/1: Carmel match--JV @Carmel HS - bus departure 12:15pm/match start 1pm; Varsity @CG - match start 3:30pm. SPECTATORS ALLOWED AT CARMEL FOR JV MATCH--MASKS MANDATORY.

Wednesday 6/2: ALL LEVEL UNIFORM & GEAR TURN IN (2:30-3:30 @CG courts); practice for Sectional players only

UNIFORM/GEAR TURN IN: JV - shirt, shorts, warm up top & bottom, CLEANED (in & out) racket bag; VARSITY - grey shirt, navy shirt, shorts, warmup top & bottom, CLEANED (in & out) racket bag. You MUST turn in correctly assigned uniforms and gear before you can leave. No awards will be given if anything is missing and you will have to pay to replace the missing item.

Thursday 6/3: ALL LEVEL intrasquad match 3-5pm; Team pizza party 5-5:45pm; ALL LEVEL Awards Night on the courts (lower gym if raining)--bring a lawn chair!

Friday 6/4 & Saturday 6/5: IHSA Sectional Tournament @Cary-Grove starting at 12pm on Friday - come cheer on your teammates!!!

5/23/21

Only 2 WEEKS left! (3 weeks for state qualifiers)

UPCOMING WEEK UPDATE:

Monday 5/24: Varsity match v. PR @home 3:30pm (reschedule)/JV-no practice BUT attend varsity match (this is an excellent opportunity to see what varsity level tennis looks like and LEARN!) This match decides who finishes 3rd in the FVC!

Tuesday 5/25 & Wednesday 5/26: Practice-all levels

Thursday 5/27: Start of varsity FVC Tourney - pigtail matches start at 3pm @CLS (players will find out Wednesday if they are in these matches)/JV-practice

Friday 5/28: Varsity FVC Tourney - 8am start and goes ALL day (at least late afternoon--don't have an end time!) Sites assignments will be announced Wednesday (all D155 courts) and specatators are allowed with mandatory masks. NO JV PRACTICE (courts will be used for FVC tourney)

Saturday 5/29: RAINDATE FOR FVC TOURNEY (with the current forecase for Friday, this is a real possibility so please plan for this entire day to be filled with tennis should Friday's weather not cooperate. They are trying their best for us not to compete this day, but put it on the calendar just in case. Once we see what unfolds Friday, we will know what Saturday's schedule will look like.)

REMINDER: THURSDAY JUNE 3RD IS OUR AWARDS NIGHT. 3-5pm - Intrasquad match all levels; 5-5:45 - Team pizza party; 6pm - Awards on the courts (or in lower gym if rain). BRING LAWN CHAIRS!

5/18/21

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/19 VARSITY MATCH @GRAYSLAKE NORTH

Spectator Information:  TICKETS are required for spectators to attend at Grayslake North matches (no cost) --> https://grayslakenorth.ticketspice.com/varsity-boys-tennis 

Saturday 5/22 Invites:

Varsity: Warren Quad-8am start at Almond Rd. Campus (34909 N. Almond Rd. Gurnee). College format duals-5 doubles/4 singles-players will play both singles and doubles college style with coaching on the court--WILL BE FUN! Up to 2 spectators per player with masks mandatory. 6:15 bus departure

JV: Palatine Quad-8:30am start at Palatine HS courts (1111 N. Rohlwing Rd. Palatine). Tournament style-draws combining 1&2 singles, 1&2 doubles and 3&4 doubles.  Spectators allowed using social distancing and masks mandatory.  7:15am bus departure

5/9/21

UPDATE:

- JV ONLY match Monday 5/10, away @Woodstock North (see below for spectator info)

-SENIOR NIGHT Tuesday 5/11 - ALL LEVELS at home vs. McHenry. Please let's "fill the house" with parents/specatators from BOTH levels to support and honor our seniors who have given so much to our program over the past 4 years!

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/10 JV MATCH @WOODSTOCK NORTH

Spectator Information: Woodstock North is allowing a maximum of 2 spectators per/visiting athlete for this match. Masks are required.

5/5/21

PICTURE DAY WEDNESDAY 5/5 @3:35PM

REMINDER: JV will be AWAY this Thursday against Dundee-Crown due to them not having a JV squad. They will play shorter match format against the few extras they have to at least get some match play in. It will be similar to what we did for our CLS match.

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/6 VARSITY/JV MATCH @Dundee-Crown

Spectator Information:  Spectators allowed; masks mandatory.

5/2/21

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/3 JV MATCH @LAKE ZURICH

Spectator Information:  Spectators allowed; masks mandatory.

4/28/21

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   4/29 VARSITY MATCH @HAMPSHIRE

Spectator Information:  Spectators allowed; masks mandatory.

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/1 JV GLN INVITE @GRAYSLAKE NORTH & GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Spectator Information:  There will be NO spectators at the Grayslake Central for the singles matches; TICKETS are required for spectators to attend at Grayslake North for the doubles matches (no cost) --> https://grayslakenorth.ticketspice.com/jv-boys-tennis 

4/25/21

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   4/26 VARSITY MATCH @GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Spectator Information:  At this time, Grayslake Central High School is not permitting visiting spectators to attend events that are held at their facilities.

VARSITY & JV TAKE FIRST AT THEIR WEEKEND INVITES

The forecasted rain held off and we got a great day full of tennis....and wins! JV took the team championship at their own invite, beating out PR by 1 point--both in the dual and team standing. And that 1 point that put them over the top came from Derek Passaglia in a tough battle against PR in the last match of the day, that he pulled out with a 9-7 victory at #1 singles. Besides the team championship, our guys placed 1st in 1 singles, 2nd in 2 singles, 2nd in 1 dubs, 2nd in 2 dubs, and 3rd in 3 dubs. VARSITY tied for 1st place with Carmel at the Mundelein Invite. It was a long day of 4 full matches but the guys made a strong showing for CG, beating Wheeling 6-0, Mundelein 4-2, Grant 5-1 and having a 3-3 draw against Carmel in our last dual match of the day. It looks like we will have a close, competitive match against Carmel coming up on June 2nd! As always, follow us on Twitter to keep updated with results and more. @CGHSTennis

Check out our TROJANS OF THE WEEK under the BOYS TENNIS tab....Week 1 goes to Noah Marrano and Week 2 goes to dubs team Brandon Burtschi & Michael Csoka.

This week's matches: Monday-GLC (V-away*/JV-home) (*see note above re: spectators), Tuesday-CLC (V-home/JV-away), Thursday-Hampshire (V-away/JV-home), Saturday-(JV) away @Grayslake North Invite (spectator info coming...)

4/21/21

2 JV matches--home and away--against Woodstock North have been added to the schedule....5/10 @Woodstock North (see below) & 5/17 @Cary-Grove. (also updated on our SEASON CALENDAR--can be found under BOYS TENNIS tab)

SPECTATOR UPDATE:   5/10 JV MATCH @WOODSTOCK NORTH

Spectator Information: Woodstock North is allowing a maximum of 2 spectators per/visiting athlete for this match. Masks are required.

4/18/21

BOYS VARSITY KICKS OFF THE SEASON GOING 3-0 IN THE CG INVITE!

Had a beautiful day to play competitively for the first time in 693 days, and the boys made up for it by going 3-0 as a team this weekend at our home invite. Going 15-0 in our matches, the guys showed great growth and pulled off some great wins. Shout out to Daniel Jauch and Brandon Burtschi/Tommy Fornelli for pulling out 3-set wins today--way to battle! Looking for continued growth on the courts this upcoming Thursday at CLS when we take on the Gators. 

Our OFFICIAL 2021 season dates are 4/5 - 6/19! I'm excited that we will have an 11-week season (just 1 week shorter than a normal season) and an excellent chance to participate in IHSA State Series play as well. The IHSA is also allowing more Contact Days which we will be participating in prior to season--hopefully starting in February. The non-winter sports will be discussing available gym times and schedules starting at the end of this week into next, but with 9+ offseason sports vying for gym time as well as the current winter sports getting priorty, it will be difficult to say the least. More info will be sent out shortly.  In the meantime, players interested in coming out for tennis need to do the following ASAP:

1) Register NOW by going onto the CG website and under the Athletics tab click on Registration PLUS get a current physical handed in to Mrs. Ganshaw--you must do both. You will actually be registering for the tennis season but all of this information is also required for participating in the contact days and without it players may not attend!

2) Get out and HIT!!!!!!!

Keep an eye out for more info regarding upcoming Contact Days! Can't wait to do this season together!