Clutch Sports Media 2026 Girls Tennis All-Area Team: 32 Central Illinois athletes earn honors
Tennis players from the Peoria and Bloomington/Normal area wrapped up their season in late October and Clutch Sports Media honors the best players around the region in its second annual All-Area teams.
Several familiar teams were among the best in the area, led by Mid-Illini Conference champion Dunlap, Big 12 Conference champion Normal Community and Central State Eight Conference champion Normal U-High. All three of those teams had multiple state qualifiers.
Upperclassmen made up a majority of the CSM All-Area teams, but several sophomores proved their mettle and have shown to be ready for the spotlight in the coming years.
Clutch Sports Media will also have a Girls Tennis Player of the Year and Coach of the Year which will both be announced shortly. All of the All-Area selections below are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Clutch Sports Media All-Area First Team
Addie Cortese, senior, Normal U-High
Cortese won a sectional title with teammate Gabi Pecoraro in doubles and made a run in the Class 1A State Finals. The duo won the Class 1A Metamora Sectional doubles title to help Normal U-High finish second in the sectional as a team. Cortese and Pecoraro won two matches at state before being eliminated in the third round of the consolation bracket. Cortese, who was a 2025 CSM Second Team All-Area honoree, finished her season with a record of 35-7.
Madelyn Couri, senior, Peoria Notre Dame
The Irish senior enjoyed a breakout campaign by winning the Class 1A Geneseo Sectional singles title and winning multiple matches at state. Couri placed third in No. 1 singles at the Big 12 Conference Tournament and went undefeated at sectionals. She won three of her first four matches at state and reached the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Couri finished her season with a record of 34-17.
Isabella Gusso, senior, Dunlap
Gusso was a strong No. 2 singles player for Dunlap and reached state for the fourth time in her prep career. A first team all-Mid Illini Conference selection and two-time all-stater, Gusso won the No. 2 singles championship at the Mid-Illini Conference Tournament and took second in singles at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional, falling to Eagles teammate Anna Yu. She lost both of her singles matches in her first time playing at the Class 2A State Finals, but won No. 2 singles titles during the season at the Dunlap Invite and Bloomington Purple Invite, finishing with a record of 31-7. Gusso also earned CSM First Team All-Area honors in 2025.
Chloe Kendall, senior, Morton
Kendall closed out her Potters career strong by winning the Class 1A Metamora Sectional singles title and powering Morton to a sectional title as a team. Kendall, who was a CSM All-Area Honorable Mention in 2025, was a first team all-Mid Illini Conference pick this fall and reached the fourth round of the consolation bracket at state after winning her first two matches. She finished her season with 26 wins and eight losses.
Gabi Pecoraro, senior, Normal U-High
Pecoraro and her doubles partner Cortese were among the top tandems in the area by winning the Class 1A Metamora Sectional doubles title and advancing to the third round of the consolation bracket at state. The Pioneers senior owned a record of 35-7 and won the Central State Eight Conference doubles title to help them win the conference tournament as a team. Pecoraro and Cortese, both of whom were CSM Second Team All-Area selections in 2025, had sweeps in both of their wins at state with both losses coming in tiebreakers.
Anna Yu, junior, Dunlap
The reigning 2025 Clutch Sports Media Player of the Year continued to dominate the competition in her junior season. Yu won the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional singles title to lead the Eagles to their fifth consecutive sectional plaque and was one of the top eight players in the state by reaching the Class 2A consolation semifinals. This fall marked the third straight season that Yu won the No. 1 singles bracket at the Mid-Illini Conference Tournament and was a first team all-conference and all-state selection. She recorded her 100th varsity win against East Peoria on Sept. 15 and won several tournaments during the regular season, including the Dunlap Invite.
Clutch Sports Media All-Area Second Team
Katherine Brewer, sophomore, Dunlap
Brewer and teammate Sia Verma made for a strong sophomore doubles group for sectional champion Dunlap. The two finished fourth at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional to qualify for state, where they won one match and advanced to the second round of the consolation bracket. Brewer, who fashioned a 32-13 record and was a 2025 CSM Second Team All-Area honoree, also won the Mid-Illini No. 1 doubles title alongside Verma and was a first team all-conference selection.
Angela Caceres, sophomore, Normal Community
Caceres was the top singles player for Big 12 champion Normal Community and was the conference runner-up at No. 2 singles, as well as the conference champion at No. 2 doubles with teammate Kinley Kosack. Caceres, who was a CSM First Team All-Area selection in 2025, took third in singles at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional to qualify for state for the second straight year. She took home the No. 1 singles title at the Bloomington Gold Invitational, was a No. 3 doubles champion at the Bloomington Purple-Gold Invitational as well and finished her year with a 38-11 mark.
Taylor Curtis, senior, Normal Community
Curtis was one of several strong players for the Ironmen and qualified for the Class 2A State Finals alongside doubles teammate Vienna Quach. The duo took third at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional and were the runners-up at No. 1 doubles in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. Individually, Curtis, who had a record of 38-13, won the Big 12 No. 3 singles title and placed in the top four in both singles and doubles play at multiple tournaments during the season.
Adi Kim, junior, Normal U-High
Kim partnered with Hallie Shoenberger in doubles play and was one of four Normal U-High state qualifiers. The duo placed second at the Class 1A Metamora Sectional before making a deep run at the Class 1A State Finals. Kim, who had a 31-10 record, and Shoenberger lost their first match, but won their next three before being eliminated in the fourth round of the consolation bracket to help Normal U-High finish 20th as a team. The pairing also took third in the Central State Eight Conference Tournament.
Vienna Quach, junior, Normal Community
Quach, who is a CSM Second Team All-Area honoree for the second straight season, was one of the top Normal Community players as an underclassmen and was a consistent semifinalist and finalist at tournaments. She and doubles partner Taylor Curtis took third at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional in the Ironmen’s runner-up team finish before falling in both of their matches at state. The two were the runners-up at No. 1 doubles in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and Quach also took second at No. 2 singles. Her regular season was highlighted by winning the No. 2 singles title at the Bloomington Gold Invitational.
Hallie Shoenberger, junior, Normal U-High
Shoenberger and doubles partner Adi Kim made the deepest run of any area doubles pairing at state, reaching the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Shoenberger, who was a CSM All-Area Honorable Mention in 2025, went 31-10 during her junior campaign as she and Kim took second at the Class 1A Metamora Sectional.
Sia Verma, sophomore, Dunlap
Verma qualified for the Class 2A State Finals for the first time with doubles partner Katherine Brewer, reaching the second round of the consolation bracket and helping Dunlap finish in a tie for 15th as a team. Verma and Brewer were the Mid-Illini doubles champions before taking fourth at the Class 2A Dunlap Sectional. Verma had a 30-13 record and was a first team all-Mid Illini Conference selection.
Clutch Sports Media All-Area Honorable Mention
Nandana Ajikumar, junior, Dunlap
Ella Bonnette, junior, Pekin
EllaKate Byrd, senior, Normal Community
Bianca Cisel, junior, Brimfield
Kennedi Dewitt, senior, Peoria Christian
Lauryn Elsesser, junior, Morton
Jolie Farrell, senior, Morton
Izzie George, junior, Peoria Christian
Lilly Hampton, junior, Dunlap
Elicia Jackman, junior, Pekin
Kinley Kosack, junior, Normal Community
Alison Liesen, senior, Metamora
Alexis Mogul, junior, Metamora
Joyce Newman, sophomore, Limestone
Faith Osterman, junior, Morton
Reagan Power, junior, Bloomington Central Catholic
Kaylee Rassi, junior, Morton
Olivia Sammis, junior, Morton
Olivia Weldon, senior, Metamora
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