Favorites Marian, Fox Finish First
June 1, 2013
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP — Athletes sometimes have a mantra they repeat to get through tough patches in the heat of competition.
Power-packed words like “compete,” “strong” and “courage” often provide a mental boost to the struggling athlete.
So, what went through the mind of Bloomfield Hills Lahser junior Mollie Fox with the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 No. 1 singles championship on the line?
“‘Angry bubbles and elephants,’” she said. “Those are the words I repeat to myself to laugh and keep things more lighthearted, just when things start to get close.”
There were plenty of tense moments for the top-seeded Fox, who was pushed to a rare three-set match before emerging victorious by a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 score over previously unbeaten senior Sara Remynse of Richland Gull Lake on Saturday at Genesys Athletic Club.
Fox broke Remynse’s serve in the third set to take a 4-2 lead. A break by Remynse closed the deficit to 5-4 before Fox closed it out on her opponent’s serve.
After taking a 4-1 lead in the first set, it was a battle all the way for Fox, who was upset in last year’s semifinals after also coming in with a No. 1 seed.
A relaxed approach helped Fox overcome the burden of high expectations.
“I went in with a little less pressure than before, knowing it’s a game and whatever happens will happen,” Fox said.
Remynse was the Division 3 runner-up as a freshman in 2010. She didn’t play high school tennis the last two seasons, focusing on United States Tennis Association tournaments. After signing with the University of Michigan in the fall, she decided it would be fun to play high school tennis as a senior.
Remynse beat Fox in a USTA tournament last summer, but wound up on the short end of a highly competitive match on Saturday.
“She’s a really good player,” Remynse said. “She deserved to win. She was the better player in the third set. I can’t be mad.”
Birmingham Marian, a powerhouse in Division 2, added a second MHSAA championship to its string of 19 consecutive top-10 finishes. Marian beat Birmingham Seaholm, 27-23. Ada Forest Hills Eastern finished among the top three for the 11th straight year, placing third with 21 points.
“People didn’t think we were going to be as good as what we were,” Marian coach Lincoln Wirgau said. “We have 14 girls on our team, myself and my assistant. We circled up after our team was set, and it was us 16 against everybody else; we were fine with that. I like our odds with those girls and our six seniors.”
A common thread for this year’s team and Marian’s 2010 squad is the presence of a Lunghamer sister.
Kelly Lunghamer was the No. 3 singles champion, and Kristin Lunghamer made the No. 1 doubles semifinals in 2010. This year, freshman Breann Lunghamer matched Kelly’s feat by winning No. 3 singles.
After winning a marathon 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 semifinal over Mason’s Samantha Perkins, Lunghamer won the title with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Claire Markley of Seaholm.
“I always saw them winning state titles and never knew what a state title was like,” Lunghamer said. “I always watched them being excited and happy about it. It’s pretty cool.”
Lunghamer was Marian’s only singles champion. The Mustangs also had champions at No. 2 doubles, with first-time finalists Tatyanna Dadabbo and Sally Thorensen winning.
Okemos sophomore Emily Struble repeated as No. 2 singles champion in dominant fashion, winning 48 games and losing only five in four matches. She led 5-0 in the first set of the finals against Lauren Dietz of Marian, then lost two games in a row before regrouping for a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
The No. 1 doubles championship duo of senior Nancy Benda and junior Jackie Meier of Seaholm never played together before this year.
Benda was a successful singles player, losing in the semifinals in 2011 and the second round last season in the No. 1 flight. Because of a wrist injury, it was determined that playing doubles would be best for her.
“It was definitely a different game,” Benda said. “I wasn’t used to doubles at the beginning of the season. It was an adjustment period, but Jackie and I came together. It was mostly getting used to the court and having two girls on the other side of the net. There’s more strategy involved.”
Meier was on the championship No. 3 doubles team last year before making the leap in competition to No. 1 doubles.
“At No. 1 doubles, every single team comes out to play so hard,” Meier said.
Lahser won half of the singles titles, with Meryl Reams taking the No. 4 flight with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Catherine Yaldoo of Marian.
Forest Hills Northern’s Stephanie Nguyen and Sarayna Sundaram won No. 3 doubles by beating Kyra Fitz and Danny Harro of East Grand Rapids, 6-2, 6-0.
Seaholm’s Lauren Benderoff and Sam Lareau won No. 4 doubles by a 6-2, 6-1 score over Charlotte Garrison and Madison Lorenz of Bloomfield Hills Andover.
PHOTOS: (Top) Birmingham Marian's Sally Thorensen returns a shot during Saturday's LP Division 2 Finals. She and partner Tatyanna Dadabbo won the No. 2 doubles flight. (Middle) Lahser's Mollie Fox won the No. 1 singles championship, taking the final match in three sets. (Below) Birmingham Seaholm's Nancy Benda and Jackie Meier (left) shake hands with Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern's Victoria Minzlaff and Shelby Moored after winning the No. 1 doubles final. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Motivation Not in Short Supply as Country Day Emerges, Avenges with Finals Win
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2024
KALAMAZOO - Fueled by a Finals runner-up finish last year and second-place Regional showing two weeks ago, Detroit Country Day unseated two-time reigning champion Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood on Saturday and clinched this season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls tennis championship.
Country Day totaled 33 points at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium to win its first crown since 2021. Cranbrook Kingswood earned second with 29 points, followed by Chelsea (24), Bloomfield Hills Marian (22) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern (21).
"We knew coming in that either us or Cranbrook Kingswood could win this meet. I just felt like our fight and courage were excellent, and that's what happens when everything falls into place. I'm so happy for these girls," said Country Day's first-year head coach Nick Fiaschetti. "This team is incredible. Our seniors are our biggest leaders, and everyone is like a family – and when you have that combination, it makes you difficult to beat."
Country Day didn't let its latest championship chance slip through its grasp. Cranbrook edged Country Day by just two points in 2023. The Cranes (20 points) also edged the Yellowjackets (17) to win their Regional two weeks ago.
"Country Day is a very good team. It really comes down to how well players handle the pressure. The teams that stay relaxed the most generally are the one that wins a state championship,” Cranbrook coach Grant Asher said. “We came up a bit short this year, but I'm proud of our girls. They competed well from the start until the end of the season. We look forward to next season,"
Country Day claimed flight titles at No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 singles, along with a crown at No. 1 doubles.
At No. 1 singles, Sophia Grzesiak defeated Forest Hills Eastern's Lilah Zaskowski in the final 6-1, 6-1.
"I'm just really proud of winning an individual title because it helps our quest for the team title. We lost Regionals, but I feel like it gave us the push we needed to come out this weekend and win it all," Grzesiak said.
At No. 3 singles, Helen Benjamin from Country Day topped Muskan Rekhani from Forest Hills Eastern 6-3, 6-1.
"I had to adjust my strategy to get all the balls in. I just had to be consistent and aggressive,” Benjamin said. “My approach shot and putting it away for the point are my biggest strengths. Our captains are great, and we are all very good friends and mentally strong."
At No. 4 singles, Country Day's Katie Han outlasted Cranbrook's Olivia Zhang 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The Yellowjackets’ No. 1 doubles combination of Marin Nolander and Peja Liles edged Chelsea's duo of Meghan Bareis and Haley Hopkins 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
"They came out strong and aggressive and we found our momentum in the second set," Norlander said.
"We played our game and had fun. Our net play really helped us out as well," Liles added.
Chelsea unseeded sophomore Samantha Bieber downed Country Day's top-seeded Quinn Norlander 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, to win No. 2 singles.
"(Norlander) seemed to be struggling with balls hit to her backhand, so I decided to take advantage of that,” Bieber said. “My groundstrokes are strong, and I think my endurance plays a big part in my success. Just being able to stick with it helps me in tough matches."
Bieber's high fitness level comes from being a dual-sport athlete in track & field. She competed in this weekend's Tennis Finals because it’s her primary sport, but she qualified for the Track Finals as well as a member of two Bulldogs relay teams.
"Running helps me mentally because in a race you have to keep pushing, so that helps me in tennis and it also teaches me time management," Bieber added.
Cranbrook showed its dominance in the doubles flights by winning at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. Sophia Kouza and Grace Zhang squeaked out a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win over Chelsea's Lucy Taylor and Brenna Taylor at No. 2, and the Cranes' No. 3 tandem of Madeline Day and Sanvi Upadhyayula were victorious over Marian's Audrey Agbay and Yana Higgins 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3. Cranbrook's No. 4 junior duo of Michelle Chen and Jessica Hall defeated Marian's Laura Higdon and Stella Glorio 6-2, 6-3.
"We had a lot of highs and lows today," Day said. "Our camaraderie helps keep our spirits up even when one of us is down."
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day’s Marin Norlander prepares to serve during a No. 1 doubles match Friday. (Middle) Cranbrook Kingswood’s Kayli Lala returns a volley during her No. 1 doubles match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)