Uniting Drive and Determination on the Tennis Court

Season Highlights

The St. Charles North doubles team lived up to the hype. With a remarkable 35-8 record, they clinched a second doubles sectional title and reached the fifth-round consolation bracket at the state meet in October. This earned them second-team all-state honors for the second consecutive year, solidifying their status as tennis powerhouses.

Coach Sean Masoncup emphasized their special qualities. "What made them special was their drive and their determination and their ability to really work together, even in the tough matches and the matches that were even," he said. Their composure and tennis ability allowed them to overcome challenges and reach new heights.

Playing Apart and Thriving

Unlike last season, Lu and Dejanovich were split up for most of the year. They played in separate matches during the week and teamed up only for weekend tournaments. Masoncup made this move to ensure they didn't waste their talents against conference opponents. However, their connection remained strong.

"From the very beginning, they sort of complemented each other pretty well," Masoncup explained. "Danielle has a lot of firepower, while Shannon is our consistent, even-keel player with senior captain leadership. Together, they work well and achieve great success."

Improvement and Bonding

Even with the time apart, Lu and Dejanovich felt they got closer and played better. "We've definitely gotten a lot better at communication and talking to each other," Lu said. "We know how to get each other to play the best that we can, and saying encouraging things and just improvements that we see we can make."

Dejanovich echoed these sentiments. "Both of us wanted to try and get a better seed at state and wanted to get further at state than we did last season and have a better performance in our record. We've worked a lot harder, and it showed on the court."

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Dejanovich, with two years left on the North Stars, will miss playing with her doubles partner. "I'm definitely just gonna miss her energy. Having her energy on the court just made everyone really happy and just made you love the sport too," she said.

Lu, who's graduating this year, shares the same sentiment. "It definitely has meant a lot to me. I feel like it's helped me develop at least half my personality. I definitely would not be the same person without tennis, and especially the team," she said.

All-Area Team Standouts

In the All-Area team, singles players like Claire Andersen (Batavia), Julia Arulandu (Batavia), Zoe Hermann (St. Charles East), Kelsey Jacob (St. Charles East), and Ashley Rajcevich (St. Francis) shone. Doubles teams such as Casey O’Brien and Emma Larson (Batavia), Liv Ketterman and Maggie Lagman (Rosary), Shannon Lu and Danielle Dejanovich (St. Charles North), Reese Thomas and Maddie Zubel (St. Charles North), Cameron Rajcevich and Elizabeth Szalek (St. Francis), and Elle Steffen and Carmen Risdon (St. Francis) also made their mark.