Stevenson’s Denise Muresan overcame Mother Nature twice and a venue change to edge Hinsdale South’s Taylor Marable 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 for the singles state championship.
Two rain delays Saturday at Prospect prompted IHSA officials to move the remaining matches to Forest View Racquet Club in Arlington Heights.
“I used to play here a lot with my dad,” said Muresan (26-1), the singles runner-up last year. “The only difference inside is that the ball moves faster.”
Deerfield claimed its first state team title by a point over Lake Forest and Barrington.
Muresan overcame a sluggish start in which the junior won the first two games, but lost six straight to Marable, who ended the season with three losses.
“I gave it my all, and I had no regrets,” said Marable, who sat out last year with a hand injury.
Muresan yelled at herself throughout the match to keep her feet moving. It seemed to work as she built a 5-0 lead in the second set and served out the eighth game to tie the match one set apiece.
With the score 5-4 in the third set, Muresan questioned out loud two borderline baseline calls and was overruled on both.
“I told her she can’t let past calls affect the outcome of the match,” Stevenson coach Dave Wilms said. “She could win [the championship] without the close calls.”
Muresan did rebound from the emotional calls and won the championship point on serve with an overpowering forehand.
The Barrington doubles team of Kelsey Linden and Whitney Martin defeated Deerfield’s Cali Gustafson and Taylor Prodromos 7-6, 6-2 for the state doubles championship.
“In the second game we hit better returns and kept them off the net,” Linden said, and Martin added, “We showed a lot more consistency.”
Even though Gustafson and Prodromos came up short, their strong play throughout the tournament enabled Deerfield to claim the state title. Deerfield edged Lake Forest and Barrington 31-30.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Gustafson said of losing the doubles championship, but winning the team title. “The team’s more important and every point counted.”
———-
ptokarz@tribune.com
