Dow Not Denied This Time in D1 Rematch
June 4, 2016
By Scott Keyes
Special for Second Half
MIDLAND – To say the Midland Dow girls tennis team enjoyed a boost playing close to home Saturday afternoon would be an understatement.
Dow coach Garrett Turner wasn't about to apologize after watching the Chargers win the Lower Peninsula Division 1 girls tennis championship at the Greater Midland Tennis Center. Dow had last won the title in 2009 and finished second last season and in 2010.
“We came out ready to go. We played a lot of great tennis, and we got the job done,” Turner said. “I was proud of what we accomplished seven years ago, and I couldn't be more proud of this year's team. We went out and battled a very tough Northville team and got the win. It's a true testament of how much we worked in the off season to prepare us for this moment. What a year. What an accomplishment."
Dow finished with 33 points to edge Northville, which finished with 30. Grosse Pointe South was third with 18 points, Ann Arbor Pioneer fourth with 17 and Rockford fifth with 14.
Northville, the reigning Division 1 champion, fought hard right up until the final match. But Dow's Caroline Szabo clinched the title for the Chargers by defeating Northville's Shanoli Kumar 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.
The win was redemption for Szabo, who was forced to watch last year's Finals from the sidelines because of an injury.
"Sitting out last season was hard to watch, especially when we were close to defeating Northville," Szabo said. "It was hard not being able to help the team.
"Watching last year, to clinching the title this year, it is pretty incredible."
Northville coach Linda Jones was confident the team would hang close to Midland Dow heading into the tournament, but she knew it was going to take some stellar performances by her team to get past the Chargers.
"To win it last year and to finish second this year is something that has never happened at Northville High School," Jones said. "These girls have worked so hard to make it this far and just miss winning another state title is extremely gratifying to our team. We knew Dow was doing to be tough, but our girls hung in there and fought to the end."
Of the eight flight championship matches, Northville and Dow competed head-to-head in six. Szabo gave Dow a win at No. 2 singles, while Sarah Ismail added a Chargers' win at No. 3.
Ismail beat Northville's Joanne Gao, 6-1, 6-3. Ismail, a sophomore, is in her first year at Dow and on the tennis team. She was home-schooled as a freshman and played in USTA tournaments.
Senior captains Afua Ofori-Darko and Kamryn Matthews repeated as No. 1 doubles champions for Dow, beating Northville's Serena Wang and Maya Mulchandini, 6-1, 6-0 to cap an undefeated season.
Ofori-Darko, a senior, said to end her career with a team championship is something she will always remember.
"I have won three individual titles in my career, but to finally get that team championship in my senior season is just icing on the cake," Ofori-Darko said. "My high school career is now complete."
Dow added another title in No. 2 doubles when the third-seeded team of Meghan Killmaster and Kelly Livingston upset Northville's Reeshma Kumar and Molly Bis.
Northville earned a win at No. 3 doubles when Neha Chava and Sophie Zhuang outlasted Mina Fabiano and Tatum Matthews of Dow, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). The Mustangs added a win in No. 4 doubles when Brittany Macaddino and Alexandria Petix defeated Dow's Maggie Schaller and Marie Marche.
As mentioned, only two matches did not include Dow and Northville players facing off.
At No. 1 singles, West Bloomfield’s Anika Yarlagadda captured the title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Raven Neely of Grosse Pointe South. Michi Ota of Ann Arbor Huron won No. 4 singles with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Emily Roopas of Ann Arbor Pioneer.
PHOTOS: (Top) A Midland Dow tennis player returns a shot during Saturday's Division 1 Finals at Greater Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) The Chargers pose with their first championship trophy since 2009. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Ishpeming Repeats by Repeat 1-Point Advantage Over West Iron County
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
October 2, 2024
KINGSFORD — Ishpeming’s doubles dominance continued at Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Division 2 Girls Tennis Finals.
That was the driving force last year behind the Hematites’ first U.P. Finals title, and this year, with an entirely new group of doubles players, they did it again. Ishpeming edged West Iron County 13-12 for the Division 2 championship after outpacing the Wykons by the thinnest of margins last year as well.
“It’s really exciting,” Ishpeming’s Janelle Seelen said after winning the No. 3 doubles title match with her twin sister Lydia. “And especially since last year’s seniors, it feels special because they won last year and we could follow that tradition.”
Even their coach, Josh Kitto, is new. He said it was special to win a U.P. title in his first year with the team.
“We’ve got hard workers; they’re coachable,” he said. “They work hard. That’s a big thing is their work ethic is great.”
Ishpeming won Nos. 1, 2 and 3 doubles. Neither the 1 or 2 doubles teams lost a set all day Wednesday. The No. 3 doubles team was the only one seeded No. 1.
The team of Brynn Way-Lanala and Ava LaPin, seeded third, defeated West Iron County’s top-seeded Destiny Lemery and Olivia LaMay 6-3, 6-4 in the final.
LaPin said they never got down on themselves or each other.
“It’s crazy. I didn’t think we’d be here honestly,” Way-Lanala added. “It was a rough start to the season.”
Lilly Ryan and Stella Nerlfi defeated Munising’s Tessa Salo and Tamryn Nolan 6-3, 7-5 in the No. 2 final.
“Me and Stella from the start always worked well together, and I think today we really pulled that through,” Ryan said. “We pulled through our best games today, and I think that meant a lot.”
Janelle and Lydia Seelen downed Norway’s Emily Carlson and Myah Gilroy 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 doubles final. They got there by getting past Munising’s Kinley Hall and Keira Albright 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinal.
“With the wind, it was really hard on the one side. We had to adjust and hit harder on the one side and hit shorter on the other side,” Lydia Seelen said.
Munising took home the No. 4 doubles title with Lauren Nelson and Maddy Knuttila defeating West Iron County’s Vivian Holm and Jenna Sunn 7-6 (6-4), 6-1.
Nelson said she and Knuttila talked to each other and cheered each other on while working through their little mistakes.
“I think she had some very good crushes, and I think I had some good shots towards the back that would get behind them to their feet,” she said.
West Iron County won two of the four singles titles.
The Wykons’ Kaitlyn Smith prevailed 6-2, 6-0 over Gwinn’s Miaha Schiefel. Smith had won the No. 3 title last year and Schiefel was runner-up in No. 1 singles last year as well.
“In the beginning, I was a little bit slower, but then I took it to her,” Smith said. “I was good on my forehands, backhands. I came up to the net when I needed to.”
Teammate Kaycee Ingram defeated Ishpeming’s Sophia Nerlfi 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 to take the No. 3 singles crown.
Gwinn’s Brook Chaput took No. 2 singles 6-3, 6-1 over Iron Mountain’s Alysia Wood. Chaput bowed out in the semifinals last year.
“I just felt like I had to do it since I was a senior, and I’m just so happy it finally happened,” Chaput said. “I hit a lot of lobs good today. My serves were actually better than usual. And I just didn’t stay in my head the whole time, which I usually do, and that helped me get through.”
Norway’s Jessa Rossler won the final title of the day, at No. 4 singles. She defeated Munising’s Jolie Ake 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
“It’s pretty crazy. It’s hard to believe because this is my first year playing tennis, so I’m pretty excited,” Rossler said. “My uncle actually joined when he was in high school, and he won a U.P. championship too. It’s just kind of something that I always wanted to try, but I’m really glad I did.”
PHOTOS (Top) Ishpeming celebrates its repeat Division 2 championship Wednesday at Kingsford. (Middle) West Iron County’s Kaitlyn Smith returns a volley during a No. 1 singles match. (Photos by Jason Juno.)