MOUNT PROSPECT - Doubles teams from Normal Community and Bloomington high schools and University High singles player Catherine Butts all overcame cold conditions to survive the opening day of the 35th annual girls state tennis tournament Thursday.

The No. 17-32-seeded doubles team of Ali Wulfers and Brianna Braastad of NCHS went 2-1 to improve to 25-7 on the season.

They face Crystal Lake South's Amy Siemon and Jennifer Maruyama at 8 a.m. today in fourth-round consolation action at Palatine.

"They got out to a slow start, but then they started playing pretty well," said NCHS coach Jim Boswell. "They won the matches they were supposed to. They played some decent teams the first two matches. They played just well enough to win."

Wulfers and Braastad opened with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Andrea Gentile and Lauren Drawbridge of St. Charles North. The NCHS duo followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Hannah Olson and Mattie Fulling of Rockford Boylan.

Wulfers and Braastad dropped into the back draw after a 6-0, 6-2 loss to Hinsdale Central's Alexandra Tapak and Emily Lombardi, who are a No. 5-8 seed.

"They played really well against them," Boswell said. "They were really pressed. It is encouraging for tomorrow."

Bloomington sophomores Tara Clemens and Emily White went 3-1 to improve to 22-17. They face the No. 17-32 seeded team of Abby Winter and Amanda Gomez of St. Charles East at 8 a.m. today at Palatine.

Clemens and White lost in the first round to the No. 9-16 seeds, Morgan Logue and Ali Linden of Barrington, 6-2, 6-3. The BHS pair bounced back with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Antioch's Janna Salak and Kristy Torres followed by a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Rockford Boylan's Hannah Olson and Maggie Fulling and a 6-0, 6-0 win over Rockford Lutheran's Colleen Freudenberg and Lauren McKee.

"They played pretty well," said BHS coach Ed Rozboril. "They were pretty aggressive. They were very consistent.

"The first match was a tough match. After that, they settled in and dominated the rest of the day. Tomorrow is a winnable match. They might not win, but they have an opportunity to win. After that, who knows? We could have been a 17-32 seed."

Butts (20-6) went 3-1 and plays Woodstock Marian's Kristen Gooberg in fourth-round consolation action at 8 a.m. today at Palatine Fremd.

"I was really pleased," said U High coach Bob Runyan.

Butts opened with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Stephanie Zundl of Carpentersville Dundee-Crown before losing to No. 9-16 seed Mia Elmore of Springfield, 6-1, 6-0. Butts had lost to Elmore earlier in the season, 6-4, 6-2.

"She did what she had to do to get through the first match," Runyan said. "In the second round, she ran into Mia Elmore who played just exceptionally. Mia had very few unforced errors. Catherine didn't expect to win that match, but she has played her closer in the past."

In the back draw, Butts topped Chicago Morgan Park's Alexis McCoy, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-1, and finished with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Prospect's Lindsay Gibbel.

"The last round she came up strong," Runyan said. "She ended up playing really well and moved her feet well even though it was her fourth match of the day. She had her opportunities to fall apart today and she held her composure and played solid tennis."

Kendyl Fisher and Kristen Laird of NCHS went 2-2 to move their record to 26-7.

They opened with a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Ashley Harrison and Danielle Emola of Frankfort Lincoln-Way East before losing to the No. 9-16-seeded Tina Harazin and Jamie Reisch of LaGrange Lyons, 6-0, 7-5.

Fisher and Laird came back with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Lockport's Missy Galick and Alyssa Vorel before being eliminated by Claire Griffin and Liz Hanley of Oak Park-River Forest, 6-4, 6-4.

Boswell was told by assistant coach Greg Laird "they played really well the first round. They met a seeded team the second round and kind of got blown away the first set and played pretty well the second set. The last match against Oak Park-River Forest was probably a winnable match. If they would have been real sharp, they could have won that one. They were down 5-2 in the first set and battled back to lose 6-4."

BHS senior Roza Mezhoud (20-17) posted a 2-2 state tourney record and was eliminated. She topped Morgan Park's McCoy, 6-4, 6-0 before falling to No. 17-32 seed Bridget Larson of Evanston, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. In the consolation third round, Mezoud downed Dundee-Crown's Zundl, 6-0, 6-0, prior to dropping a 6-0, 6-3 verdict against Elmhurst York's Kelly Barry.

"She played a seeded girl in the second round and she had a chance to win it," Rozboril said. "That would have been big. The next match she won easy. The last match, she played a girl who was on fire. That girl didn't miss many shots."

Normal West senior Cassie Devore (6-16) was eliminated after losing twice, first to Aurora Rosary's Emily Reuland, 7-6, 3-6, 6-1, and then to Chicago University High's Gabbie Clark, 6-1, 6-1.

NCHS junior Ava Maxwell (15-8) was eliminated after losses to Downers Grove South's No. 9-16 seeded Jenny Hois, 6-0, 6-0, and Johnsburg's Fleur Langer, 6-1, 6-2.