Grosse Ile Ends Wait for 1st Championship
May 31, 2014
By Keith Dunlap
Special to Second Half
HOLLY – MHSAA Finals championships are typically remembered forever in trophy cases of schools around the state. But sometimes there are championships that differentiate themselves more than others from a historical perspective.
No doubt, the championship the Grosse Ile girls tennis team captured Saturday is one of those unique pieces of history that will stand out forever.
Coach John Shade has presided over Grosse Ile’s program for 42 years, but never got to experience the feeling of winning an MHSAA Finals championship until the Red Devils won the Lower Peninsula Division 4 title on Saturday at Holly High School.
Grosse Ile won its first-ever championship by collecting 26 points, finishing five ahead of Kalamazoo Christian and six ahead of third-place Traverse City St. Francis.
Needless to say, there were a lot of fellow coaches who wanted to offer congratulations to Shade afterward, and there will likely be many more in the coming days who couldn’t be happier to see him win his first title with the girls after previously winning with the boys program.
“It’s nice to hear congratulations from your peers,” Shade said. “I think most people know me and know Grosse Ile.”
The Red Devils produced individual champions at two flights, Kennedy Quinn at No. 4 singles and the team of Rose Tucker and Casey Guthrie at No. 4 doubles. But it was the overall depth of Grosse Ile that stood out.
Ola Latala at No. 3 singles and the team of Karolina Kvasnitova and Elli Formentin at No. 2 doubles finished second in their respective flights, and Julia Formentin at No. 2 singles and the No. 3 doubles team of Katherine Kuzmiak and Luna Terauchi reached the semifinals to add more valuable points to Grosse Ile’s total.
The seeds for Grosse Ile’s title were really sewn at last year’s MHSAA tournament, where the Red Devils finished an agonizing three points behind champion Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart.
With much of its core returning, Grosse Ile knew this could be the time to win that elusive championship, and it was.
“This was our goal since last year,” Latala said. “We are all really excited that we are state champs. We really wanted to make our coach really proud.”
Redemption from last year was also a theme for Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard senior Colleen O’Brien, who finished off an unbeaten season by winning the title at No. 1 singles.
O’Brien, who will play at Michigan State University, lost in last year’s championship match, but avenged that by beating Calla Ramont of Lansing Catholic, 6-3, 6-2.
“I think I was motivated to win more,” O’Brien said. “I just never wanted to give up, and keep fighting. Obviously last year I needed to fight a little more to win that match. I just had that mentality.”
It often can be a mental strain for a player to try and keep a perfect season going, but O’Brien’s focus turned out to be too good.
“I blocked it out,” O’Brien said. “It didn’t really affect me too much.”
Gabriel Richard also had the champion at No. 2 singles, as Maddy Szuba beat Jessica Bouma of Kalamazoo Christian, 6-3, 6-2.
Audrey Bouma of Kalamazoo Christian beat Latala, 6-3, 6-1, to win the No. 3 singles title, and Quinn beat Sydni Greenhoe of Portland at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-3, to round out the singles portion of the tournament.
At No. 1 doubles, Sacred Heart’s team of sophomore Gretchen Lemon and senior Sarah Spangler beat Chrissy Flynn and Ella Anteau of Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in the final, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
In the semifinal, Flynn and Anteau upset the top-seeded team, Gabrielle Kelly and Stephanie Kelly of Ludington, and both Lemon and Spangler admitted they were surprised to not be facing the Ludington team in the final.
That set up a rematch from a regular-season match, when Lemon and Spangler rallied from a 5-0 deficit to win the first set and ultimately beat Flynn and Anteau.
Lemon and Spangler rallied again Saturday after dropping the first set.
“In the first set, we didn’t really realize their disadvantages,” Lemon said. “In the second and third set, we figured it out and that is how we won.”
Olivia Laman and Brooke Schneider beat Kvasnitova and Formentin, 6-4, 6-4, to win the title at No. 2 doubles, Sarah Stayman and Rosie Wilson of Traverse City St. Francis won the title at No. 3 doubles by beating Julia Maltbie and Claire Flewelling of Ludington in the final of that flight, 6-1, 7-5, and Tucker-Guthrie beat Brooke Butterfield and Morgan Wittkopp of Portland in the final of the No. 4 doubles flight, 6-2, 6-2.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grosse Ile celebrates its first MHSAA girls tennis championship. (Middle) Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard's Colleen O'Brien returns a shot during the No. 1 singles championship match. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Seaholm Breaks Free From 3-Way Tie to Win 4 Flights, Clinch Team Title
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2023
MIDLAND – A Lower Peninsula Girls Tennis Final has never finished with a three-way tie at the top – yet Birmingham Seaholm, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central all entered Saturday’s Division 2 flight semifinals with 22 points at Midland Tennis Center.
But with stellar play from its doubles teams, Seaholm won its first title since 2018, ending Forest Hills Northern’s Finals streak at three championships with 32 points to the Huskies’ 27. Forest Hills Central tied for runner-up, also with 27.
Seaholm’s first flight champion came from the No. 4 doubles tandem of junior Stella North and freshman Lucy Jen, the top seeds. They defeated Maggie Moog and Clare Knoester of Forest Hills Northern, 6-0, 6-4.
“We came out and dominated the first set,’’ said North. “In the second set, we had kind of a slow start.’’
“Then they adjusted to what we were doing, and we had to adjust,’’ said Jen. “We have a great tennis community at Seaholm. We’re a family and we have so many girls come out.’’
Added North: “I’m so happy for Lucy. She had to go through so much to make the team. We had tryouts and we played two days a week. We were the top team in our conference, so there was some pressure.’’
Seaholm kept the momentum going winning the No. 2 doubles title with Katie Slazinski and Jenna Ting defeating Ava Hamilton and Lauren Jaklitsch of FHN, 6-3, 6-1.
“We had played them before with an alternate, so we hadn’t played that exact team,’’ said Slazinski. “I feel like we were in control. We were playing our way.’’
“We got up 3-0 in the first set, which was big,’’ said Ting. “We kind of dropped slightly, but we regrouped and got fired up.’’
Seaholm added another flight championship with the No. 3 doubles team of senior Sydney Fong and sophomore Jordyn Lusky downing Forest Hills Central’s Veronica Vincent and Ella Hunnewell, 6-2, 6-1.
“Jordyn has been great,’’ said Fong. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. We played them before, so we knew what to expect. We had a plan. We took notes and executed what would thought were our strengths and their weaknesses. Our coaches do a great job.’’
Seaholm scored a championship at No. 2 singles as well, as Courtney Marcum outlasted Anna Dinsmore of Portage Central, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, in that final.
Forest Hills Central junior Lily Ohlman, second-seeded at No. 1 singles, made school history in getting past top-seeded Helania Pietrowsky of Grosse Pointe North 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
“I have been dreaming about this for a year,’’ said Ohlman, fighting back tears. “When she was having trouble keeping the ball in play, I just said keep the ball in play. In the second set, I started missing shots and my coach reminded me to just keep the ball in play. I just thank God.
“I’m the first (girls) singles champ in school history. This is so amazing.’’
Portage Central freshman Adelie Chen captured the No. 3 singles title over Jada Josifovski of Seaholm, 7-5, 6-4.
“After the semifinals, I didn’t think I could do it, but my teammates believed in me," said Chen.
In the battle of freshmen at No. 4 singles, FHN’s Harriet Ogilvie defeated Chloe Cox of FHC, 6-1, 6-2.
“I really like her as a player and a person,’’ said Ogilvie. “I had played her before, so I know her tendencies. I started executing what I needed to do and was able to keep the points coming and build some momentum. This is the end of a great season for me.’’
Forest Hills Northern’s No. 1 doubles team of Ryan Morey and Paige McKenzie kept Seaholm from sweeping doubles by defeating Tatum Hirsch and Ellie Wyzykowski 6-0, 4-6, 7-5.
First-year Huskies coach Steven Olson had to make a tough decision during a No. 2 singles semifinal, retiring his player Andrea Wang as she faced off with Marcum.
The two were tied at one set apiece – Wang won the first 6-1 and Marcum the second 7-6 – and Marcum was winning the third 5-1. But Wang’s right ankle was injured so badly she could barely move.
“She won the first set pretty quick,’’ said Olson. “She wouldn’t quit. I asked her to, and she wouldn’t. She’s a competitor, and she has a lot of pride. She’s only a sophomore.’’
PHOTOS (Top) Birmingham Seaholm’s Courtney Marcum fires a backhand during a No. 2 singles match Saturday at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) Forest Hills Central’s Lily Ohlman volleys on the way to winning the No. 1 singles flight. (Below) Forest Hills Northern’s Ryan Morey and Paige McKenzie celebrate their championship at No. 1 doubles. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)