Tigers tennis duos set to face first-round opponents today

Members of the Urbana High School tennis will be competing at the IHSA Girls Tennis State Finals today at Buffalo Grove and other surrounding high school sites. Doubles pair Lorilei Yau, Eisla Madigan, head coach Parker Sands, assistant coach Jeff Unger, and the doubles team of Luna Morales and Alisa Tangmunarunkit will represent the Tigers at the season finale event.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

BUFFALO GROVE - There's nothing like competing against the best athletes in the state. Urbana's #1 and #2 doubles pairs will put their training and mental stamina put to the test when they take the court in Day 1 competition at the Illinois High School Association's Girls Tennis State Final.

Tigers Alisa Tangmunarunkit and Luna Morales play their opening match against Sycamore's Jetta Weaver and Madyson Block at Schaumburg High School. Tangmunarunkit and Morales won the Danville championship title on Monday and later celebrated their Senior Night before spending Tuesday and Wednesday preparing for today's match.

Meanwhile, teammates Lorelie Yau and Eisla Madigan, also seniors, will begin their tournament play at Schaumburg High School, three and half miles away. Yau and Madigan, who finished fourth in the sectionals, will face Benet Academy duo Shane Delaney and Clare Lopatka.

After making her first tournament appearance last fall unseeded, University High's Kruthi Ramanath hard work and offseason work delivered dividends by way of a #3-4 seed into this year's Class 1A singles bracket. The sophomore will face Sacred Heart-Griffin senior Mary Kate Christie.

In her freshman-year foray into the IHSA tennis postseason, Ramanath won her first match over Illinois Math and Science Academy's Josie Kim, 6-0, 6-2. Advancing to the next round, she played admirably but ultimately eliminated from the bracket after a 6-3, 6-4 loss to then senior Savannah Web from Richmond-Burton.

State qualified: Urbana and Uni-High tennis players advance to state tennis tournament

Due to rain on Saturday and the lack of indoor court availability, the fate of two Urbana's doubles pairs was settled at Danville High School tennis sectional on Monday. While both qualified for state after serving their way into the semifinal round, all that was left was determing the third-place winners and this year's sectional champions.

Urbana tennis team ready to face all challengers this fall

"We are striving to be the most-improved team from day one until the end of the season," said Tigers' head coach Parker Sands on Tuesday during the team's second day of practice. Rain on Monday forced his first practice indoors to kick off his fifth season at the helm of the program. "We have already started practicing and giving our ..."

Acosta hits hat trick in regional semifinal soccer match, SJO wins 9-0

St. Joseph-Ogden's Alex Acosta is congratulated by teammate Waylon Jones after scoring a goal against Unity on September 19. Acosta scored three goals on Saturday during the Spartans' regional semifinal soccer match against Clifton Central.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

ST. ANNE - They were literally unstoppable in putting the ball between the posts. The St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team rolled over Clifton Central in their IHSA regional semifinal match on Saturday, 9-0.

Junior Alex Acosta finished the postseason contest with a spectacular three goals. Spencer Wilson, a senior, connected twice, and the Spartans got two scores from junior Logan Mills. Freshman Tyler Hess rounded out the SJO scoring effort with two goals in the shutout.

Acosta and fellow junior Will Besson were each credited with one assist each.Wilson and sophomore Zach Harper setup two scores apiece with solid passes.

Thanks to a incredible defensive effort in the backfield, keeper Jaxson Colvin notched three save to hold Comets scoreless for 80 minutes.

The Spartans improved to 16-7 with the win, and advanced to tonight's St. Anne regional championship game against another Comet team, this one from nearby Oakwood. An anticipated rematch, SJO hopes to avenge their earlier 5-1 loss three weeks ago in September to the OHS squad.

Rockets fall to the Illineks regional semifinal

Nolan Remole, a junior, kicks the ball downfield during Unity's Illini Prairie Conference road game at St. Joseph-Ogden. The Rockets' soccer season came to an end after falling 7-0 to #2 seed Urbana U-High in the Monticello regional on Friday. The Rockets, who won their IHSA first-round playoff game 2-1 over Judah Christian, finished the season with eight wins against nine losses and one tie. The path to a regional title was difficult for this year's team, with six of the ten schools in their subsectional listed as private schools or academies.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Photo Gallery | Unity vs SJO

Rockets' Tre Hoggard returns the ball after an SJO field goal attempt in the first quarter. Hoggard, a sophomore, carried the ball 11 ...

Tarr leads Unity in acing Urbana, 2-0

Reagan Little and Piper Steele combined efforts to produce seven kills in Unity's home volleyball match against Urbana on Monday. The Rockets won the contest in straight sets...

Tarr leads Unity in acing Urbana, 2-0

TOLONO - Reagan Little and Piper Steele combined efforts to produce seven kills in Unity's home volleyball match against Urbana on Monday. The Rockets won the contest in straight sets 25-21, 25-21.

Unity's McKayla Schendel passes the ball to the front line during the Rockets' home match against Central High School in August. UHS moved to a 15-16-1 record after their non-conference match against the Urbana Tigers.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Steele delivered three kills and three digs. Little, who led the team at the net and in the backcourt was credited with four kills and 10 digs.

Junior Lauren Shaw pounded two aces against the visiting Tigers and distributed eight passes. Meanwhile, senior Ruby Tarr slammed three aces and had six assists. Shaw chalked up six digs and Tarr added another six in the non-conference victory.

The Rockets improved to 15-16-1 and host Rantoul (13-19) tonight in their final regular season home match before facing Olympia on the road on Thursday.

The team will be back in action at the Rocket Center next Monday at 6pm in their postseason debut against #7 seed Warrensburg-Latham (22-10).

State qualified: Urbana and Uni-High tennis players advance to state tennis tournament

DANVILLE - Due to rain on Saturday and the lack of indoor court availability, the fate of two Urbana's doubles pairs was settled at Danville High School tennis sectional on Monday. While both qualified for state after serving their way into the semifinal round, all that was left was determing the third-place winners and this year's sectional champions.

Tigers' Alisa Tangmunarunkit and Luna Morales, both sectional qualifiers from the previous season, decisively settled who were the best double pair in the title match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Mahomet-Seymour seniors Savannah Amatyleon and Emily Young, who also advanced to the state tournament this weekend in Hoffman Estates.

"I am so excited. I didn't think this would have happened," said Morales. "I am really excited to go!"

Luna Morales plays in Urbana's home tennis match against Centennial in August. Morales and three other players from this year's tennis squad will compete at the IHSA state tournament this weekend.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

She and Tangmunarunkit were the #1 seeds in the Class 1A sectional. The pair won all four of their matches in straight sets.

Morales said their semifinal match against the #4 seeds Adella Bird and Holland Martin, from Mahomet-Seymour, was the most stressful.

"Honestly, that was our most nerve-racking match. We really wanted the sectional championship," Morales explained. Winning that match was step one in the plan to achieve that goal, but it wasn't easy mentally. "We were really in our heads."

She said the great thing about her and Tangmunarunkit playing together is they can adjust mentally and prevail when the numbers on the scoreboard are not in their favor.

"Even if we start losing, we are like, 'We want this'. We are able to get into the mindset soon enough to save it (the match) before it is too late."

Also representing the Tigers at state will be Eisla Madigan and Lorelie Yau. The duo lost to Amatyleon/Young in their semifinal, 6-0, 6-4, advancing to the third-place match, where they faced another set of Bulldog players.

After a nailbiting first set that finished 7-6, Madigan and Yau, the third seeds in the tournament, fell 6-0 in the second set, taking fourth place.

"All of my girls who played at sectionals played amazing," said Urbana head coach Parker Sands. "Everybody knew what was on the line, and everybody wanted to get to state. I think there was a little bit of nerves at first, but all the players settled down and played their game."

With the season a week from being over, Sands, who took over the program in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, notched three memorable coaching milestones this season.

"It feels absolutely amazing," he said, describing his program's accomplishment at sectionals and the first milestone. "This is my first foray taking girls to state, so I'm really excited about that."

His second milestone? This year is the most entries he will accompany to the state tournament in any season since taking over the head coaching position for both the girls and boys program. Sands has had either a singles player or a doubles pair qualify for state with the boys program, but never more than a single entry.

It will also be his first season coaching four-year players like Tangmunarunkit and Madigan who came into the program his first season.

"It's my first graduating class that I've gotten to see all four years, which is very special," said Sands, who also teaches at Urbana Middle School. "I have known some of these girls since they were in sixth grade. Knowing a person for seven years and getting to see them develop into people who are going to change the world is really exciting."

Uni's Ramanath advances to state in singles

University High's top player, Kruthi Ramanath went 4-0 in her run to the sectional singles title. The #1 seed, Ramanath defeated Danville's Anna Houpt with ease in the title match, 6-3, 6-1.

The sophomore dropped three sets in her first three matches combined. Ramanath rolled over Paris' Ava Barrett in their second-round match, 6-0, 6-0. She went on to double bagel Mahomet-Seymour's Emmie Flores in their quarter-final bout.

Before taking the court against Houpt, Ramanath was tested by Danville's Reese Rundle. She defeated the Vikings #3 seed, 6-2, 6-1.

All five players will start their state title runs on Thursday at the IHSA Girls Tennis State Finals in Buffalo Grove High School.

Photo-of-the-day | Trimble and Spartans win at home in straight sets

St. Joseph-Ogden's Bree Trimble pops up a dig in their regular season home volleyball match against Maroa-Forsyth. The Trojans fell in two sets 25-18 and 25-14 to the Spartans on September 25, 2018. (PhotoNews Media/Photo by Clark Brooks)

Volleyball milestone reached, SJO's McDonald reaches the 400th match win

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball program pose for a group photo with head coach Abby McDonald after her 400th win on Monday. The milestone came came after the Spartans defeated Hoopeston Area at home in two sets, 25-13, 25-22. Under McDonald's leadership the program ...

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Five Urbana players looking for a spot in the tennis state finals

DANVILLE - After the first day of competition at the Danville High School sectional, five area tennis players are in position to earn a spot in this year's IHSA Tennis State Finals.

Both of Urbana High School's doubles pairs advanced to the semifinal round on Friday.

Alisa Tangmunarunkit and Luna Morales, who earned the #1 seed, won both first-day matches in straight sets. The duo notched their first win 6-0, 7-6, over Watseka's Moriah Pueschell and Sarah Parsons. The two seniors then crushed Paris' Bella Moreschi and Myah Bartos, 6-1, 6-3.

Urbana's Lorelie Yau puts the ball away at the net during a doubles match against Centennial on August 30 at the beginning of the season. The senior, along with doubles partner Eisla Madigan (not pictured), won their first two matches at the Danville Tennis sectional on Friday. A semifinal win Saturday morning will guarantee a trip to the IHSA Tennis State Finals in Barrington next week.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Meanwhile, Tigers' teammates Lorelie Yau and Eisla Madigan, who also won their quarterfinal bout, defeated Emerson Barrett and Graci Watson in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-3. Yau and Madigan will face Mahomet-Seymours Savannah Amatyleon and Emily Young on Saturday, hoping to punch their ticket to the sectional title match.

Saturday, Tangmunarunkit and Morales take the court against Mahomet-Seymour's Adella Bird and Holland Martin, who are the #4 seed and have dropped just three out of 27 of their sectional tournament games.

Still alive in the singles bracket, University High's Kruthi Ramanath will play #3 seed Reese Rundle from Danville in a semifinal match. Ramanath served notice to all challengers, double bageling Paris' Ava Barrett in her second-round match and doing the same in the quarterfinal to Mahomet-Seymour's Emmie Flores.

Season ends for many talented players

Tiger's Grace Cody enjoyed a first-round bye in the singles bracket. Unfortunately, she ran into the #2 seed in her second-round match, falling quickly in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, to Vikings' Anna Houpt.

After winning her first match decisively, 6-0, 6-0, St. Joseph-Ogden senior Addison Seggebruch's prep tennis career came to a close after she fell 1 & 1 to Schlarman's Maya Jenny.

University High's Charlotte Lin started out on fire, cruising past Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley's Audrey Iverson in straight sets in her opening match, 6-1, 6-1. In her next match, Lin fell to Schlarman's Jenny, 6-0, 6-0, to the Hilltoppers' #4 seed.

Urbana's Alicia Garcia went 1-1 on opening day. She won her first-rounder over Schlarman's Anna Lehman, 6-1, 6-0. Her second-round match didn't go her way. Unable to notch a single game, she fell to Danville's Reese Rundle, 0 & 0.

Addison Ross' second-round match against Mahomet-Seymour's Emmie Flores was the only contest requiring a third set and a set tie-breaker to determine who advanced to the next round. After losing the first set, 6-3, Ross battled furiously to take the second set of the match 6-1. The St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore was narrowly defeated in the third set, falling 7-6 to Flores.

Doubles duo finished for the season

St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore duo Lily Rice and Caroline Aden fell 6-2, 6-1, to Mahomet-Seymour's Savannah Amatyleon and Emily Young.

Like Rice and Aden, SJO juniors Ellie Ward and MaKennah Hamilton saw their season end in the second round. After winning their opening match 6-0, 6-1, the pair lost a heartbreaker 7-6, 7-6, to Danville's Lexi Foley and Aliya Morgan.

Illini cross country squad takes second at Bradley meet

PEORIA – Earlier today, the Illinois men's cross country squad finished second at the Bradley Pink Classic.

Jack Roberts led the Illini contingent, collecting his third individual win on the season with a time of 24:08.4 in today's 8k race. Roberts, a senior, hasn't finished below second place in the final standings all year. The Downers Grove native also placed first at the Illini Open and the Gans Creek Classic at Columbia last month.

Alex Partlow extended his streak of top-10 finishes to four, crossing the finish line in fifth-place finish at 24:22.3. Teammate Brady Masters rounded out the top 10 for the Illini when he crossed 10th and clocked a 24:37.0. Later, Anthony Maida, a junior, made it across the line to give Illinois four finishers in the top 20. Turning in a time of 24:39.5, he finished 17th in the field of 199 runners.

The Illinois men's team finished with 120 points behind meet champions IUPUI (118) and enjoyed a 15-point advantage over Wichita State, who finished third. Host Bradley University finished in fourth place with 160 points, and Cincinnati rounded out the top five squads in the Red Division, earning 165 points.

World in chaos, talking to your child about the violence and terrible events as they unfold

Photo: Hosny Salah/Pixabay

by Shelli Dankoff
OSF Healthcare

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has left lives shattered with tragic images everywhere, and kids are watching.

News that could be confusing at best – or scary at worst – is circulating on-air and online, and many parents are left to wonder how to talk to their children about unsettling current events.

“The conversation really should be about the child. Give them permission to express their feelings. Make sure that they understand it’s important for them to be expressing their opinions, their viewpoints, their feelings. We want to make sure that they are hearing from us as the parent that we care about what they think. We care about what they are feeling,” explains Kyle Boerke, PsyD, an OSF HealthCare clinical child psychologist.

As information comes in, children may misinterpret what they hear, and might be frightened by something they don’t understand. Dr. Boerke says the first step parents should take is to simply ask kids what they know, and then talk about it truthfully, in a way that is appropriate for the age and developmental level of their child.

“We want them to know the information that I am giving to them is something that they can trust that is accurate. So if they are hearing me fiddle with the truth one way or another and they have a teacher at school that is having a conversations with them, that is going to put kind of a doubt in their head. So it is important to be open and honest with them at that age appropriate level. That way they know that they can trust you as a parent and your discretion,” he says.

And while the topic of the day might be divisive, parents can use the current environment as a teaching opportunity. Dr. Boerke reminds us that our kids are watching our reactions to current events and how we treat those with differing opinions or outlooks.

“We have the ability to model how we agree with or how we disagree with something in an appropriate way, and especially in a time like this when the country is so divided, that is a really important thing for us to model – appropriate ways to disagree or have different opinions from other people,” urges Dr. Boerke.

And Dr. Boerke says one of the most important things a parent can do is to reassure kids that they are safe.

During unsettling times, sometimes kids can have trouble coping. Dr. Boerke says signs of that include changes in behavior like nightmares, a child not sleeping, new fears, a lack of concentration or unusual moods.

If a parent notices these changes are ongoing, and talking with the child doesn’t seem to alleviate the fear, Dr. Boerke suggests speaking to your child’s pediatrician to get a referral to a behavioral health provider.

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The power of listening when helping those with a terminal illness

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

“I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime.”

Country music star Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” tries to sum up the emotions of a terminal illness.

Rita Manning
Pastoral Care & Bereavement Coordinator

Photo provided

It’s not just Hollywood. Rita Manning counsels patients and their loved ones as a pastoral care professional and bereavement coordinator for OSF HealthCare. She says there are ways to make the person’s final days more peaceful.

Getting the diagnosis

Before the “what’s next?” phase sets in, Manning says gut reactions to a terminal illness diagnosis can vary widely. Some have been in declining health, and they may show less of an emotional response. Others learn the news unexpectedly and abruptly.

“Those that are broadsided probably have more of an impact of mental and emotional things,” Manning says.

People might talk about being afraid of death or ask lots of questions. Some may want to go “full speed ahead,” as Manning puts it, and do things while they can. They may travel or catch up with old friends. Others may retreat and want to contemplate the future alone. Depression and other mental health issues can follow.

Helping out

Here’s a phrase to try when starting the conversation with a loved one:

“You may not want to talk about this now. Just know that whenever you are ready, I’m ready to listen and be there,” Manning says, putting herself in the shoes of a caregiver.

In other words, try to meet the person where they are. Don’t try to fix something that can’t be fixed. Acknowledge that the news is tough. Sit and cry with your loved one if that’s the emotion they show. Or if you don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve, offer help in other ways. Offer to mow the yard or take care of groceries.

Manning advises to avoid cliché phrases like “How are you doing?” Instead, try “How’s your day treating you?”

Another poor phrase: “You’re going to a better place.”

“Those types of phrases might be factual for them in their faith journey. It still may not be the time they want to hear that,” Manning says.

End of life discussions

It’s not uncommon for an adult with a terminal illness to put off talking about their funeral, estate and other matters once they have passed away. But there comes a time when there’s little time left to get things in order. Approach it delicately, Manning suggests.

“We just want to honor your wishes,” Manning says, again posing as a caregiver. “If you could help us understand what those are, that would help us to know how to move forward.”

Other phrases that may work: What is your greatest concern? What is your greatest hope? How can we make your final days full and comfortable?

Children and terminal illnesses

Consoling and supporting a child who will soon pass away requires a different approach, Manning says. You should still be honest, but they may not understand death. So, explain it in a way they understand.

First, reassure the child that the situation is not their fault.

Try something like: “Sometimes people just get sick. As hard as we try, we just can’t find that solution to make you well again.”

If they ask a question, an adult may need to ask one back to make sure they grasp what the child is thinking. For example: does the child’s stomach hurt because they are nervous or because of the illness? The response will shape what the adult says.

Relate to what children know, like a pet who died or even leaves falling off trees in the winter. But don’t be afraid to use words like “death” and “dying.” Using words like “lost” may cause confusion, Manning says. For example: a parent says, “We lost grandma today.” A child may respond, “Let’s go find her.”

Manning adds that there are books from trusted sources that talk about death.

“They’re still going to have questions,” Manning points out. “But it starts the hard task. Reading helps them engage and understand better.”

Learn more

Learn more about resources for people nearing the end of their life on the OSF HealthCare website.

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More men than women die from melanoma; tips for men to stay alive longer

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That includes protecting one of our most vital and largest organs – our skin.

It’s that time of the year when people are outdoors for several reasons – sporting activities, vacations, and working outside jobs.

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