The girls tennis team might’ve been on their way to winning the state finals, but the rain got there first.

EHS sent two doubles teams to state and one singles team. Seniors Natalie Karibian and Cimarolli were on one doubles team while senior Annie McGinnis and freshman Hannah Colbert comprised the other. Sophomore Chloe Trimpe represented EHS in singles.

The girls previously tasted success at sectionals. Karibian and Cimarolli won the championship for doubles, McGinnis and Colbert placed third in doubles and Trimpe took third in singles.

Colbert, McGinnis and Trimpe were eliminated on Friday, the first day of the tournament, but Karibian and Cimarolli advanced to the Saturday matches.

After Karibian and Cimarolli secured a 4-1 record in the first few two days, they were tied for fifth place with Metea Valley, which Cimarolli said was their toughest competition.

Stormy skies greeted them, however, when it was time for consolation quarterfinals, where they were scheduled to play Orland Park Sandburg. Consequently, both the quarterfinals and the rest of the tournament were cancelled.

“I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see our other doubles keep going in the bracket, and it’s always fun to watch your teammates play,” Colbert said.

Through the tough competition and the rainy weather, Karibian said that her team’s greatest strength was optimism.

“We had a lot of harsh weather when we were playing, and we still played well and remained positive through it all,” Karibian said.

Even though she and Karibian were denied the opportunity of the quarterfinal match, Cimarolli said the fifth-place win was rewarding.

“It was a pretty good feeling since I’ve never placed before,” Cimarolli said. “It felt really good knowing that my last year was the year I placed, like the past four years finally paid off.”