Boys Tennis: Easy does it for Glenbrook South duo

Updated: April 30, 2012 1:43PM

As tennis double partners go, Michael Levin and Michael Sellitto are pretty laid-back guys.

But to confuse their behavior for ambivalence would be selling the Glenbrook South duo short. Both players have an overwhelming ambition to be the best, but both go about it in a more subdued way.

“On the court, they have a great disposition together,’’ Glenbrook South coach Larry Faulkner said. “A lot of times players get upset with their partner. That never happens with them.’’

“We both know that if you miss a ball that the point already happened and there’s no going back,’’ Levin said. “You might as well continue on with the next point and think about what you can do next.’’

That maturity level has served both Levin and Sellitto well this season. The No. 1 doubles partners had won their first 21 matches before recently falling to the Downers Grove South pair of Cody Frieschlag and Connor Harman in a third-set tiebreaker.

“We took our first loss but that’s not such a bad thing,’’ Sellitto said. “We are even more motivated now. Personally for me, if me and Michael are playing solid and putting volleys away and doing all the things that we have to do, I don’t think there is another team in state that can beat us.’’

With a big win over Highland Park earlier this year and an upcoming match against the perennially strong New Trier, both players know that the road to being the No. 1 doubles team is wide-open and will have to be earned.

“I think we have a solid chance [of winning state this year],’’ Levin said. “We haven’t played a few of the top teams yet so it will be interesting to see how we do against them. But I think we have a pretty solid chance to win it.’’

Levin and Sellitto were paired as doubles players as sophomores and finished in fifth place in state. Sellitto was used as a singles player last year. But with Konrad Zieba and Sam Hoogland filling the singles role, Sellitto can get back to doubles, making the Titans a contender for the team title.

“It’s a nice change for me to play doubles in high school,’’ Sellitto said. “I love playing with Michael. We get along great. We have great chemistry together. It’s a lot of fun for me. We’ve known each other a long time and we get along really well that makes that aspect of it a lot more fun. We’re really positive with each other.’’

Sellitto will move on to Illinois State University to play tennis next year while Levin will attend Indiana University where he may try out for the team. If not, he plans on playing club tennis.

“They are two of my three captains and I guess that says a lot about their character and their leadership abilities,’’ Faulkner said. “They’re good kids. They work hard and play hard.’’

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