The Belleville West boys tennis team has a long, proud tradition, and juniors Max McLean, James Stathis and Scott Segobiano are doing their best to keep it alive.
McLean, who plays No. 1 singles for West, is 18-4. Prior to last weekend's Tom Pitchford Invitational at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, his only losses were to players from the Chicago area (Downers Grove South and Glenbrook South). He finished seventh at the Pitchford Tournament, a 32-school event which features many of the best teams in the state.
Stathis and Segobiano are West's No. 1 doubles team and are 21-1 overall after placing third at the Pitchword Tournament. They took a 17-0 record into the weekend.
"With their athleticism, skill and work ethic, it's really exciting knowing that they're only juniors," said Maroons coach Andy Brunner, whose squad placed fifth in the team standings. "They can really reach some high levels of the game if they continue down the track they're on.
"Max has taken ownership of his game and he's a really solid player that doesn't come along very often. It doesn't hurt that he's left-handed and it doesn't hurt that he's one of the most consistent players that I've seen.
"James and Scott both have an all-court game. Their quickness, agility and net play is what makes them a top doubles team. They attack their shots and they're both very aggressive, which is what it takes to be a very good doubles team."
Stathis and Segobiano, the No. 2 seed at the tourney, are in their second year as a doubles team. At the 2009 IHSA state tournament, they won three of their first matches before losing their last two.
"We're just tying to prove to the teams up north that we can compete at the state tournament," Stathis said. "Our real goal is to gear up for the state tournament. We're hoping to go farther this year.
"We're a little more experienced. We know how to win the close matches."
Both players have similar styles.
"We both like to stay back at the baseline," Stathis said. "We're just scrappy."
"We're pretty intense as well," Segobiano said. "That's a good quality and it helps us a lot."
Segobiano started playing tennis at an early age, but for years, soccer was his No. 1 sport.
"Once I got to high school, I started focusing more on tennis," said Segobiano, whose father, Tony, is a former assistant coach for the West girls soccer team. "It really opened my eyes and it was a lot of fun. I saw that I could go far in it.
"As far as taking lessons or going to clinics, there's not really one person I've worked with the whole time. I've worked a lot on my volleys and recently my serve has been pretty good."
Stathis also had an early introduction to tennis.
"I've played everywhere - Belleville, St. Louis - and I've hit with everybody," Stathis said. "There are so many pros that I could mention who have helped me out, but it was mostly my dad (Charles). He played at West and then he got hurt during his career and kind of stopped after that, but he's the one who got me into the sport.
"Back in grade school I played a lot of sports, but once I got to high school I concentrated on tennis. My focus on the court has gotten a lot better. Last year I had some loose games and missed some easy shots and this year I haven't had any of those games where I take a couple points off."
McLean. meanwhile, grew up in a tennis family. His father, Scott, played at West and went on to play at Kansas University.
"I didn't start playing tennis until a little later, but my dad got me into it," McLean said. "I started playing competitively when I was 11 or 12. I played other sports like soccer, basketball and ice hockey, but my eighth-grade year I decided to quit all my other sports and concentrate on tennis. That's when I really started pushing it.
"At state, the farthest I've made it was the round of 32 my freshman year and both years I lost in the fifth round of consolation. My goal for this year is to make the round of 16."
McLean has a simple formula for success.
"I just try to be steady and not play dumb," he said. "I think I'm making a lot less unforced errors and just playing smarter.
"My main goal is the state tournament, but another goal is to win the (Southwestern) conference. I've never won it in singles."
