Oct. 25--Hinsdale Central sophomore Stephanie Dolehide picked an odd time to keep her emotions under control.
Dolehide and Sandra Keta won the doubles championship Saturday at the IHSA girls tennis tournament, defeating defending champions Katherine Harvey and Vinaya Rao of Stevenson, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 7-5.
After the match, which began at Buffalo Grove High School and ended at Palatine's Midtown Athletic Club after rain forced the tournament indoors, Dolehide reflected on her stunning personal journey.
Dolehide said she suffered multiple injuries on June 2 after being hit by a car while riding her bike. Dolehide said she fractured her tailbone, sprained her left wrist, sprained an ankle, tore her labrum, injured her back and sprained her rotator cuff.
She sat out four months, not returning to the tennis court until late September. Dolehide and Erika Oku lost to Rao and Harvey in the doubles final last year, but the injury led to a partner change for Dolehide.
"I was out a long time," Dolehide said. "I'm really happy. I just wanted to do better than me and Erika did last year. I really wanted to do the best I could because being out really changed my outlook. Everything is healed and this was a good way to start my season and start back my recovery."
Also, Dolehide added to her family's legacy. Her older sister, Courtney, teamed with Nida Hamilton to win consecutive doubles state titles in 2006-07 for the Red Devils.
"It's an amazing feeling having our opponents being two of our really good friends, and I was just trying to live up to the legacy of what my sister has done," Stephanie Dolehide said. "She has won twice, so I had to do it for her. Sandra is in her last year, and she played amazing. We both really complemented each other. Kate and Vinaya are outstanding players."
With Dolehide and Keta winning the doubles championship, Hinsdale Central claimed its 16th girls tennis title, and became the first school to win a girls singles and doubles state titles in the same year since New Trier in 1981.
Hinsdale Central captured its third straight team title with a record-tying 50 points.
"This was a good way to end the season," Dolehide said.
Bianco finishes fourth: Alessandra Bianco warmed up for the state tournament by making a side trip to Austin, Texas. The Latin sophomore reached the final of the USTA National Selection Tournament, which ended on Oct. 12.
Ranked as the No. 34 sophomore recruit in the country by tennisrecruiting.net, Bianco suffered her first loss of the season to Naperville Central's Tiffany Chen 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Bianco lost the first set 6-0 against Palatine's Asuka Kawai in the third-place match when darkness ended the contest.
Her fourth-place medal marked the highest finish for a Latin singles player since Laura Granville captured the state title in 1996.
The 16-year-old Bianco (25-1 before 3rd place match) trains at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, aided by private coach, Aaron Mabra.
Chen hits for cycle: Despite losing in the state singles title match, Chen was able to laugh about her place in IHSA history. Chen finished fourth in her freshman season, won the state title in her sophomore season and was third last season. The Princeton recruit lost to Lorenzini in two sets to finish second on Saturday.
"I've got the full set (of medals)," Chen said. "That's always a positive."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
