1A tennis: Benet’s Clare Lopatka, Shane Delaney win title – Chicago Tribune

Benet junior Shane Delaney has no recollection of the greatest moment of her tennis career.

Her doubles partner, junior Clare Lopatka, remembers some of it but is still a little fuzzy on the details.

“It was kind of a blur,” Delaney said. “The only way I was able to remember it was because my dad took a video.”

Delaney and Lopatka were playing against Timothy Christian’s Crystina Lee and Jane Carter in the Class 1A state championship match at Buffalo Grove on Saturday.

“Timothy Christian hit a serve, and Clare hit a return, and then they missed,” Delaney said of match point. “I just turned around, and I was overjoyed. I felt so accomplished.”

The top-seeded Delaney and Lopatka won 6-3, 6-1 to finish the season with a 34-1 record. Their only loss came against Naperville North’s Brooke Coffman and Gabby Lee, who finished third in Class 2A.

Crystina Lee and Carter were seeded second but were no match for Delaney and Lopatka, who won all six of their matches at state in straight sets, dropping a total of 17 games.

The last point was exhilarating for Lopatka. She does recall that.

“I was super happy,” Lopatka said. “The only thing I could think of as soon as the point ended was to run up to Shane and hug her because we had such an amazing season and it had such a great ending.

“I actually thought the final point was way longer than it actually was, so it’s all a little bit of a blur still. But I just remember feeling so overwhelmed with joy and happiness.”

Delaney and Lopatka are the second doubles team in program history to win a state title, joining Kaitlyn Lee and Kendall Schrader, who were the 1A champions in 2019.

“They’re just really good friends,” Benet coach Mike Hand said of Delaney and Lopatka. “They’re not opposites, but each brings their own little distinct personality.

“Clare is a little more quiet, and Shane is a little more vocal, so they complement each other well.”

Delaney and Lopatka met just before freshman year, when they both made Benet’s varsity team. Lopatka qualified for the 2A state meet in singles, while Delaney made it to state in doubles with senior Claire Converse.

Hand paired Delaney and Lopatka in doubles last season, when they finished in the top 12 in 2A. So much was expected when the Redwings were dropped down to 1A this season.

“Wanting to win it was one of my goals going into the season, so this is really special to achieve that,” Delaney said. “Being the one seed, I was super happy about that. It really represents our hard work during the season.”

What is the secret to their success?

“We work well together because we’re opposite players,” Delaney said. “She’s kind of a consistent, topspin type player, and I’m more of a power hitter.”

Delaney and Lopatka brought their full power to bear against Lee and Carter.

“During the final, we planned on playing super aggressive at the net, poaching a lot at the net and taking a bunch of chances and making sure we were consistent and playing our shots,” Lopatka said. “We try to play as aggressive as possible and put away as many balls as we can.

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“It really helps to be aggressive at the net because it throws the other team off and it gives us more of an advantage.”

The performance by Delaney and Lopatka helped the Redwings finish second in the team competition with 31 points, one behind Chicago U-High. Benet earned its third trophy, having won the 1A championship in 2016 and finished second in 1A in 2019.

“I think it’s really cool, working so hard and getting a prize out of it,” Delaney said. “It’s so cool when you can celebrate it together as a team and to be able to bring it home to our school and represent our school.”

Benet’s second doubles team of juniors Natalie Grover and Katie Jendra finished fifth, giving the Redwings two medal-winning doubles teams for the first time. In singles, junior Maddie Converse reached the quarterfinals, while freshman Lily Lopatka won one match.

The Redwings will remain in Class 1A next season, meaning they will be a strong contender to win the title.

“It was a great season, and I’m very proud of how our team did,” Clare Lopatka said. “We’re all going to be back next year, and as we continue to train and grow over the offseason, we’ll come back stronger next year and potentially capture first place.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.