Rochelle senior Noah Griffith won three consecutive sets without dropping a game over his first two matches during the IHSA Class 1A Sectional at Sterling High School on Friday. Griffith’s aggressive play on both sides of the court were on full display as he logged two wins to reach the sectional semifinals in singles play.
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STERLING — Rochelle senior Noah Griffith won three consecutive sets without dropping a game over his first two matches during the IHSA Class 1A Sectional at Sterling High School on Friday. Griffith’s aggressive play on both sides of the court were on full display as he logged two wins to reach the sectional semifinals in singles play.
Griffith will also be competing in the IHSA State Championships at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights next weekend after claiming his spot in the sectional semifinals Friday afternoon. Griffith has now reached the state championships in each of the last three years, and the senior is looking forward to extending his final season with the Hubs.
“It’s an honor to go back to state,” Griffith said. “I’ve worked so hard and to end my senior year by making another state appearance is really incredible. I can’t take my coaches, my friends and my family enough for supporting me throughout the season.”
Griffith began the sectional championships with a clean 6-0, 6-0 victory against Geneseo’s Griffin Tracey in the second round. Griffith then jumped ahead of Sterling’s Grant Bright with a 6-0 win in the first set of his quarterfinal match, and although Bright tested Griffith early in the second set, the Rochelle senior rallied for four straight games to take the second set 6-2.
“I was playing aggressive and I played with confidence,” Griffith said. “I was coming up to the net and staying confident in myself. I played my game and that’s what led me to these victories. I’ve been playing really well over the last few weeks and I just need to keep trusting my game and playing how I’ve been playing.”
Rochelle senior Kevin Zheng won his first singles match on Friday, defeating Mendota’s Zach Rinaldo 6-0, 6-1 in the second round before falling against Sterling’s Dillon Nitz in the quarterfinals 0-6, 0-6. The Hubs didn’t advance any doubles teams to the semifinals. Juniors Juan Montemayor and Hector Garcia fell 3-6, 1-6 against Alleman’s Sean Gelski and Jesse Dyer, while juniors Emilio Nava and Chris Jones lost 0-6, 0-6 to Geneseo’s Mick Haverland and Brandon Gallagher.
See Tuesday’s edition of the Rochelle News-Leader for final sectional results.
