Cranbrook-Kingswood Near-Perfect Again
June 1, 2013
By Alan Babbitt
Special to Second Half
HOLLAND – Alexandria Najarian and the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood girls tennis team are a nearly unbeatable combination.
Najarian, a junior, served up her third individual flight title with a third unblemished season Saturday at Hope College, helping Cranbrook-Kingswood complete a near-perfect run to the team Lower Peninsula Division 3 title.
Cranbrook-Kingswood won seven of eight flights for 39 points — one point from perfection. The Cranes finished comfortably ahead of runner-up Allegan (23).
It was a satisfying conclusion to a season that started slowly, Najarian said.
“We took a Florida trip at the beginning of the year for spring break, and we were down there for a week. We all were really frustrated with our play at the beginning because we were working so hard. We felt like nothing was coming together,” Najarian said. “Today it finally came together. This is a really happy moment.”
Cranbrook-Kingswood earned a three-peat of team titles with its fifth consecutive top-two finish.
“We came in favored, but all year our girls worked really hard,” said Cranbrook-Kingswood coach Jeff Etterbeek, a Holland native. “They came out here in some tough, windy conditions and kept their composure. They played one point at a time and did a great job. I’m really proud of all of them. They really came through.”
Najarian contributed by taking first at No. 1 singles.
In Saturday’s final, she defeated a familiar foe — second-seeded Sydney Liggins of Grand Rapids Catholic Central — 6-1, 6-4. It was a rematch of the 2012 title match.
“She’s been my biggest competitor the past few years. She’s played so well,” Najarian said. “She came out a little nervous. Usually it’s the opposite. I got a better head start. Last year, I went down 0-4 and had to fight back. This year it was the opposite. She put up a great fight. It means a lot I could pull through again.”
Cranbrook-Kingswood swept the rest of singles play and won three doubles flights.
Detroit Country Day took third with 19 points, while Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern (17) and St. Clair (16) rounded out the top five.
Allegan spoiled Cranbrook-Kingswood’s bid for a perfection.
Allegan’s top-seeded No. 1 doubles team of seniors Christin Drozd and Kaycee Harness outlasted Cranbrook-Kingswood’s third-seeded pair of Alissa Rowens and Meg Phyle 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the championship match.
It was the first MHSAA doubles title together for Drozd and Harness, who went unbeaten. Drozd earned one title as a freshman at No. 2 doubles before finishing Finals runner-up the past two seasons at No. 1, including 2012 with Harness.
“To finish my senior year undefeated, state champs, is absolutely amazing,” Drozd said.
Harness moved from No. 3 singles after her sophomore season to play with Drozd.
“When her partner graduated, I wanted to jump in. We’ve been such good friends,” Harness said. “I think the fact we lost (in the finals) last year made us want that much more this year. We were motivated and worked hard all season.”
In other flights, No. 2 singles top seed Anna Short of Cranbrook-Kingswood defeated third-seeded Madeline Bissett of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match.
At No. 3 singles, top-seeded Allison Motea of Cranbrook-Kingswood beat second-seeded Haley Mullins of Detroit Country Day 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
At No. 4 singles, Cranbrook-Kingswood’s Sarah Lipworth held her No. 1 seed, scoring a 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (5) win in the title match against third-seeded Sarah Carroll of Detroit Country Day.
In doubles play, Cranbrook-Kingswood’s second-seeded No. 2 pairing of Kendra Sweet and Christina Roualet won by knocking off top-seed Blake Day and Emmarie Gorby of Allegan 6-4, 7-5 in the finals.
At No. 3 doubles, Cranbrook-Kingswood’s No. 1-seeded duo of Briana Latica and Holly Meers defeated sixth-seeded Taylor Orr and Carlie VanKlompenberg 6-0, 6-1 for the championship.
At No. 4 doubles, Cranbrook-Kingswood’s top-seeded pair of Lauren Lanzon and Emily Harvey beat second-seeded Anna Bosgraaf and Lisa Busscher in the final 6-2, 6-1.
Najarian now has her sights set on a rare four-peat of MHSAA Finals flight championships.
“I hope so,” she said. “I worked a lot over the summer. Staying healthy and not getting injured is important. (Liggins) won’t be back, but there’s still some good competition to get used to. I got used to her.”
Etterbeek is confident Najarian will be in the hunt again next spring.
“She has a lot of variety in her game. She can beat you in so many different ways” Etterbeek said. “She’s just a smart experienced player. She is such a great competitor. She’s going to figure a way to beat you when she’s not playing her best.
“That’s certainly proven so far because she’s never lost a match. It doesn’t always go perfect. She’s had some close matches this year, and she came through every one of them. She’s a great leader on our team. We’re so happy to have her, obviously.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Cranbrook-Kingswood's Alexandria Najarian sends a shot during a No. 1 singles match; she won the flight for the third straight season. (Middle) Allegan's Christin Drozd, together with partner Kaycee Harness, won the No. 1 doubles championship. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
PH Northern Hits Winning Number
June 1, 2013
By Scott Keyes
Special for Second Half
MIDLAND – For the Port Huron Northern girls tennis team, winning the Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship at the Midland Community Tennis Center was all about redemption.
Last year, the Huskies tied Clarkston for second place with 25 points as Grosse Pointe South walked away with the title after tallying one more.
Northern came into the tournament believing that this year's magic number was 24.
"I knew if we hit the 24-point mark we would have a shot at winning the state championship," said Northern coach Char Sweeney.
Little did Sweeney know before the tournament got underway Friday that 24 would be the winning number and that her team would be on the winning end of things after the final matches were over Saturday afternoon.
Northern scored 24 points to top Farmington Hills Mercy, which finished second with 22. Grosse Pointe South and Clarkston tied for third with 20. Rounding out the top five was Northville with 14 points.
"We came so close to winning the whole thing a year ago, and we were a determined group coming into the season," Sweeney said. "I would have loved to have won a state championship last season and shared the experience with my older daughter, but to be able to share this with my daughter (Allie) this year along with the rest of the team is pretty special."
The win capped Northern's first championship run since 2002.
Farmington Hills Mercy coach Joe Stafford was all smiles after his team's second-place finish.
"This was probably our highest finish in the last 15 years," Stafford said. "I told the girls even before the tournament started that we play together. We win together. We lose together. Whatever happens after that is up to us. The girls rose to the challenge in the tournament and played their hearts out. I couldn't be prouder of what they accomplished here today."
With five freshmen, three sophomores and only two seniors, Stafford's team should contend for the top spot in the tournament for years to come.
Meanwhile, it was Northern that walked away with a Finals championship, also with a young team that will continue to surge in coming seasons.
Northern won two individual flight titles against Clarkston as Lizzie Brozovich defeated top-seeded Isabella Spindler, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 2 singles, and Fran Basha and Alexis Wirtz defeated top-seeded Paige Olsen and Alex Whall, 6-1, 6-0, in No. 1 doubles.
Brozovich was the only singles winner that wasn't a No. 1 seed in her flight. Mary Hanna of Saline won at No. 1 singles; at No. 3 singles Dana Olsen (Clarkston) defeated Maggie Sweeney (Grosse Pointe South) 6-0, 6-4, and at No. 4 singles Madie Flournoy upended Jessie Guindi, 6-3, 0-6 and 6-2.
Brozovich's win was a game-changer for the Huskies.
"When Lizzie won we knew we could have a shot at winning the whole thing," Sweeney said. "Lizzie was so close to winning a year ago, she came into the tournament knowing what to expect this year. She was so poised an in control.
“This isn't a three-month passion for them. It's a year's worth of hard work and sacrifice. It's a long process to be able to accomplish what the girls did today."
In other doubles matches, Mercy's Anna Hinrichs and Mackenzie Zierau defeated Northern's Jenna Brettschneider and Maddie Neaton, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, at No. 2; Evie VanDewege and Alyssa Roopas of Ann Arbor Pioneer handed Northern's Amy Tseng and Maggie Bacheller their first loss of the season, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, at No. 3; and Northville's Shannon Williams and Libby Quinn bested Mercy's Julie Flanagan and Sarah Hinrichs, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 4.
The No. 2 doubles match lasted more than three hours. Tseng and Bacheller already knew the team had locked up the title after the second set, but still would have liked to have won an individual championship.
"That was by far the longest match we have been in all season," Tseng said. "We would have liked to have won a state championship, but we did it as a team and I couldn't be prouder of what we were able to accomplish as a group."
PHOTO: Port Huron Northern’s Amy Tseng and Maggie Bacheller play a No. 3 doubles match; they finished runners-up in their flight. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)