It’s early in the fall girls tennis season and Julia Musgrave has a specific goal in mind.
“I think I just need to play more,” said the Rochester senior. “I hadn’t been able to play that much this summer because I teach tennis, worked 40-hour weeks, basically. I want to play more and have fun for my senior season. Most importantly, it’s about being consistent for myself and having a positive attitude.”
Musgrave — The State Journal-Register’s 2023 All-Area Player of the Year — had a mild setback on playing more when she fell ill for several weeks. As the top singles seed, she had to pull out of the Central Illinois Invitational on Sept. 7, which was won by second seed Ella Sandgren of Maroa-Forsyth.
In addition, Musgrave suffered a 6-2, 6-0 defeat to Chatham Glenwood junior Ellie Surges in a dual meet at Chatham on Wednesday. Glenwood, the top team in the area, won the match 9-0.
Third-year Rochester coach Rolando Salazar noted that it was a “tough match” for Musgrave while praising Surges and senior teammate Samantha Shankland.
“Glenwood has a really good program, bringing up those two, Ellie and Sam,” Salazar said. “It’s not the last time we’ll see Ellie, she played well. (Musgrave) is just now getting over her sickness that she’s been having for the past month, so I think that had a little bit of play into it. The best thing that we can do is go back to the drawing board, practice and hit it from there.”
To boot, Musgrave hinted that being the returning player of the year can bring some higher expectations.
“There is definitely some pressure,” Musgrave said. “I wasn’t expecting to get (the award) last year at all. I was expecting (Shankland) or (Springfield High graduate Nischi Korrapati) to get it. I’m really grateful for it. I hope I can live up to that title for this year.”
Musgrave’s run to her award as a junior started with private lessons from current Glenwood head coach Sonthana Thongsithavong at about 9 years old. She said she quit playing volleyball to focus solely on tennis and also worked with Decatur’s Chuck Kuhle and took many classes around Washington Park.
Musgrave’s dedication paid off last season when she finished second at the Class 1A Alton Marquette Sectional and advanced to the Illinois High School Association state tennis finals, winning two matches in the consolation bracket to finish 2-2. She earlier had two second place finishes at the Springfield High Invite and at the CII, respectively. Musgrave and Rochester graduate Raleigh Meneghetti took third place in doubles at the Central State Eight Conference Tournament.
“It would be really great if I could make it to state again, that’s always the goal,” Musgrave said. “If I win a tournament, that would be great, too. It would be a great way to finish off the season.”
Salazar said he wants to see Musgrave finish with a winning record at state and admires her work ethic.
“Just the fact that she doesn’t stop, she doesn’t stop fighting,” Salazar said. “She doesn’t give up too easily and has grit and hunger. If she wants something, she’ll go after it. She feeds that off to my other players as well. I’m looking forward to her senior season.”
Regarding Rochester’s team, Musgrave praised senior and No. 2 singles player Grace Winkler and her doubles partner, junior Cora Haupt.
“She worked the entire summer, played every day and really worked hard at it,” said Musgrave of Winkler. “She can definitely win some games for us. Cora still has room to improve, but I think she has really come a long way.”
Salazar has a bigger goal in mind for Rochester.
“I feel really confident this season, going for a sectional title,” he said. “I think we have the right group to do it — it’s just a matter of how bad we want it. The response I got from most of the girls is that they really want a sectional title, and it would be great for the girls and the school.”
Including Musgrave, here are the top area players to watch for the 2024 season.
Samantha Shankland, Chatham Glenwood
The senior started this season with a big 4-6, 6-1, 10-3 victory over Sandgren at the Maroa Quad Meet on Aug. 24. Shankland, last season’s CS8 conference singles champion, also picked up a pair of straight sets wins at the Belleville East Invite with victories over Belleville East and Morton at No. 1 singles on Sept. 7. She has a chance to right the ship after missing out on a state berth last season with a loss in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A Belleville West Sectional.
Myla Shannon, Springfield High
The senior ended 2023 with a combined 16-13 record in singles and doubles while teaming with sophomore Madisyn Williams. Shannon defeated Sacred Heart-Griffin graduate and Class 1A state qualifier MK Christie 6-4, 6-1 for fifth place at last season’s CS8 tournament. She won her first match at the Class 2A Belleville West Sectional before losing to Surges in the second round.
Caroline Sheehan, SHG
The senior became one of SHG’s top players in both singles and doubles last season, but did not play in the postseason due to “extra-curricular” activities, said SHG coach Hayden Esker. She and Lily White tied for fifth in the No. 1 doubles draw at last season’s Central Illinois Invite, a meet that SHG won in 2023. Sheehan has started 2024 positively by getting to the No. 1 singles title match of the CII and placing second after falling to Sandgren 6-4, 6-1.
Ellie Surges, Chatham Glenwood
The junior has begun the season with a 6-0 start, including beating Musgrave 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles in a dual meet. The majority of her matches have been in the No. 2 singles spot, namely posting a 7-5, 6-2 win over Quincy’s Mary Dodd in a dual meet on Sept. 3. She is also expected to contribute at the No. 1 doubles slot, said Thongsithavong, with junior teammate Lydia Ryherd. Surges is currently 6-1 in the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles flights this season. She finished second at the CS8 tournament last season, falling to Shankland in three sets and — with a fourth-place finish at the Class 2A sectional — she qualified for state and went 0-2.
Contact Trevor Lawrence: 788-1548, trevor.lawrence@sj-r.com.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Julia Musgrave, top girls tennis players around Springfield for 2024
