Huskies make clean sweep at sectional

The most competitive matches for the Oak Park-River Forest tennis team came in the finals when teammates faced off against each other.

The Huskies, as expected, dominated the field and won the OPRF Sectional with a maximum 36 points.

It was the 19th straight year the Huskies have won a sectional championship.

OPRF advanced both of its singles players and two doubles teams to the state tournament, which begins on Thursday at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights.

The Huskies are expected to be in the hunt for a top-three finish and bring home a state trophy.

Hinsdale Central, New Trier, Stevenson, Chicago Latin and Highland Park are also in the trophy hunt.

The Huskies finished fourth at state a year ago and ninth in 2006.

The last time OPRF brought home a trophy from the state meet was 1997 after placing third.

"We know all about the top competition (because) we have played them this year," OPRF coach John Morlidge said. "We know we can beat them all if we are playing our best. The seeding will be very important. We will have to come up with some huge wins to get into the top three.

"We can't have any slip-ups. It's all about which team gets hot at this point in the season."

Morlidge hopes to have Michael Jacobs seeded in the (Nos.) 5-through-8 group.

Jacobs won the sectional title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over teammate Dan Vollman.

Jacobs, who had a first-round bye, lost only three games prior to reaching the title match. He appears to be recovered from a late-season shoulder injury.

"He just needs to stay healthy and play confidently," Morlidge said. "The shoulder is not bothering him."

Vollman was also impressive in the early sectional rounds, winning 36-of-44 games. Morlidge hopes Vollman will be seeded somewhere among the top 32.

"He has improved a ton this season," Morlidge said. "He just needs to find the right blend of being aggressive and not overhitting the ball."

Tim Martin and Devin Jones posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over teammates Matt Harris and Alex Gebert in the title match at doubles.

Martin and Jones lost a total of three games in the three matches leading up to the finals.

The OPRF duo, Morlidge said, deserve a top-eight seed even with losses late in the season to Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central.