LP Finals Preview: Champions Reign
May 30, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Fans attending any of this weekend's four MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals will notice plenty of familiar names on the bracket sheets.
Two of four reigning team champions are ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions, and three of four No. 1 singles champions from last season will play for repeats as well.
Below is a brief look at top contenders at all four tournaments. Play begins Friday morning and finishes Saturday. Click for more including brackets and seeds for all 32 flights.
DIVISION 1 at Midland Tennis Center
Top ranked: No. 1 Port Huron Northern, No. 2 Clarkston, No. 3 Grosse Pointe South.
Reigning No. 1 individual champion: Davina Nguyen, Utica.
The top three finishers from 2012 are the top three ranked teams again this weekend. Grosse Pointe South will look to defend its championship win, earned by a point over co-runners-up Clarkston and Port Huron Northern.
Port Huron Northern: The favorite is seeded at six flights and loaded with experience after last season’s near-miss. Allie Sweeney is the sixth seed at No. 1 singles after finishing runner-up at No. 2 last season, and Lizzie Brozovich is the third seed at No. 2 after finishing runner-up at No. 3; Rae Brozovich is the second seed at No. 3 singles after making the semifinals at No. 4. Three doubles pairs made at least the semifinals last season and two finished flight runners-up – Fran Basha and Alexis Wirtz are the second seed at No. 1 doubles after making their run as a fifth seed last season, and Jenna Brettschneider and Maddie Neaton are the second seed at No. 2 after finishing second a year ago. Amy Tseng and Maggie Bacheller are the top seed at No. 3 doubles after making last year’s semifinals.
Clarkston: All four singles players and the No. 1 doubles pair is seeded, led by two-time reigning No. 2 singles champion Lexi Baylis coming in as the second seed this time at No. 1. Teammate Isabella Spindler is the top seed at No. 2 singles and Dana Olsen is the top seed at No. 3 after teaming up for the No. 1 doubles championship last season. Paige Olsen, the reigning No. 3 singles champ, teams with Alex Whall as the top seed at No. 1 doubles this weekend.
Grosse Pointe South: Three of the team’s top four singles players are back from last year’s run; Carmella Goree is unseeded again at No. 1 but made the quarterfinals last season, while Brooke Willard is the fifth seed at No. 2 after also making the quarters. Maggie Sweeney is the third seed at No. 3 after winning No. 4 last season. Madie Flournoy is the top seed at No. 4.
Saline’s Mary Hanna: She is the top seed at No. 1 singles again after coming in the same in 2012, when she made the semifinals before losing to Nguyen. Hanna owns a win over Baylis this season.
Utica’s Davina Nguyen: After winning all four of her matches in two sets during last season’s No. 1 championship run despite entering as a fifth seed, Nguyen won’t surprise anyone this time – even as the third seed.
Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Anna Borowicz and Sarah Court: After winning No. 3 doubles last season, the Pioneers’ pair is the fourth seed at No. 1.
Other returning flight champions: Ann Arbor Pioneer's Evie VanDewege and Alyssa Roopas (No. 4 doubles, seeded second at No. 3 this season).
DIVISION 2 at Holly and Fenton
Top ranked: No. 1 Birmingham Marian, No. 2 Birmingham Seaholm, No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
Reigning No. 1 singles champion: Abby Perkins, Mason.
As in Division 1, the top three ranked teams also were the top three finishers a year ago. Seaholm edged Forest Hills Northern by two points and Marian by six, with Bloomfield Hills Andover – No. 4 this season – tied for fourth in 2012.
Birmingham Marian: Seven flights are seeded among the top three at their respective positions, and the only unseeded player – No. 1 singles Elaine Apaza – was a semifinalist at No. 2 last season. Lauren Dietz is the second seed at No. 2, Breann Lunghamer is the top seed at No. 3, and Catherine Yaldoo is the top seed at No. 4. Bianca Emde and Tatum Schwartz played at the Finals with different doubles partners last season, but are the top seed this weekend at No. 3.
Birmingham Seaholm: The Maples are seeded at seven flights as well, with six seeds among the top three and three top-seeded doubles teams. And the only unseeded player – Lauren Frazier at No. 2 singles – won No. 4 in 2011. Jackie Meier and Rachel Wilson won No. 3 doubles last season and are partners on two top-seeded pairs – Wilson with Laine Boitos at No. 2 and Meier with Nancy Benda at No. 1. Lauren Benderoff and Sam Lareau are the top seed at No. 4 doubles, and Labina Petrovska should contend as the third seed at No. 1 singles after finishing runner-up at No. 2 last season.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: Four seeded doubles pairs and six seeds overall should have Forest Hills Northern in contention again. No. 1 doubles champion Victoria Minzlaff and No. 2 champs Shelby Moored and Lauren Gager – three of four champions at the top two doubles flights last season – are back with new partners. Minzlaff and Moored are the second seed at No. 1. Gager and Edie Jiang are the third seed at No. 2.
Mason’s Abby Perkins: She won the No. 1 singles championship last season as a fifth seed, so entering as a sixth seed might not mean much – but would make a great story if she repeats.
Bloomfield Hills Lahser’s Mollie Fox: She’s the top seed again at No. 1 after falling to Perkins in the semifinals last season.
Richland Gull Lake’s Sara Remynse: The senior is the second seed at No. 1 after not playing high school tennis the last two seasons. She was the No. 1 singles runner-up in Division 3 as a freshman in 2010.
Other returning flight champions: Okemos' Emily Struble (No. 2 singles, seeded first at No. 2 this season).
DIVISION 3 at Holland
Top ranked: No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, No. 2 Detroit Country Day, No. 3 Ada Forest Hills Eastern.
Reigning No. 1 singles champion: Alexandria Najarian, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood.
Cranbrook-Kingswood is playing for its fifth-straight top-two finish and third straight MHSAA championship. Country Day won the title in 2010 and finished third last season, and Forest Hills Eastern is expected to make a bigger jump after tying for sixth last spring. Five of last season’s six seeded players at No. 1 singles are seeded at that flight again, and the sixth this time was the No. 3 singles runner-up last spring.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood: All four doubles pairs won flight championships last season, and five of those eight players are back in the doubles lineup, including reigning No. 3 pair Briana Latica and Holly Meers and Meg Phyle, half of last season’s No. 1 winner. The team owns the top seeds at all four singles flights: Joining Najarian are Anna Short at No. 2, Allison Motea at No. 3 and Sarah Lipworth at No. 4. Last season's No. 4 doubles champion is split among two new pairs; Lauren Lanzon remains part of the top seed at No. 4, and Christina Roualet is part of the second-seeded pair at No. 2.
Detroit Country Day: The Yellowjackets are seeded at six flights, with two players back after winning championships in 2012. Madelyn Karoub is seeded second at No. 2 singles after winning the flight, and Jane Ziecik is teamed with Ellie Miller as the second seed at No. 1 doubles after winning No. 4 singles. All four Country Day singles flights are seeded among the top four.
Ada Forest Hills Eastern: Three singles and three doubles flights are seeded, with reigning No. 3 singles champion Madeline Bissett the third seed this weekend at No. 2. Remington Gerst, while unseeded, is back at No. 1 singles, and Jada Bissett is the third seed at No. 3 after entering the fifth seed at No. 2 in 2012.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Sydney Liggins: She’s the second seed at No. 1 singles after falling to Najarian in last season’s championship match, also as the second seed.
Allegan’s Livia Christman: She made the No. 1 semifinals as the sixth seed last season, and is the third seed in that flight this weekend.
DIVISION 4 at Kalamazoo College
Top ranked: No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, No. 2 Grosse Ile, No. 3 Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.
Reigning No. 1 singles runner-up: Meika Ashby, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central.
Sacred Heart is the reigning champion and finished runner-up in 2011, but Grosse Ile should make a strong push after finishing 14th in Division 3 last season. Gabriel Richard tied for eighth in Division 4 last season, and watch also for No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central – the reigning runner-up.
Academy of the Sacred Heart: Outstanding doubles are the strength of a team powerful throughout. Three doubles pairs are top seeded and the fourth – reigning No. 1 championship pair Kelsey Nagle and Emily Nash – is seeded second. No. 2 top seeds Heidi Lemon and Sarah Spangler won at No. 3 last season, and Kendall Lehmann – paired with Hannah Gerard as the top seed at No. 3 – was part of the No. 4 champion a year ago with current No. 3 singles player Teresa Walewander. Tate Lehmann at No. 4 singles also is top-seeded.
Grosse Ile: The Red Devils are seeded at seven flights, and six are seeded either second or third. The team’s top performers at last season’s Division 3 Final – No. 1 doubles pair Brianna Riley and Julia Formentin, who made the quarterfinals – are seeded second at No. 2 singles and third at No. 3, respectively.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard: The Irish are seeded at all four singles flights and unseeded in doubles. But those singles players are capable of pulling Gabriel Richard into contention. Colleen O’Brien is the second seed at No. 1 after winning No. 2 last season, and Anjali Sood is the top seed at No. 2 after making the quarterfinals at No. 1. Maddy Szuba is the second seed at No. 3 after making the No. 2 quarterfinals in 2012.
Kalamazoo Hackett’s Meika Ashby: She’s looking to finish her high school career with a fourth championship match appearance and third championship – she won No. 2 as a freshman, No. 1 as a sophomore and finished runner-up at No. 1 last spring. She'll play No. 1 again this weekend.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Kelsi Black: The fourth seed at No. 1 singles last season, she made the semifinals. This spring she’s seeded third at No. 1.
Other returning flight champions: Grandville Calvin Christian's Taylor Applehof (No. 3 singles, unseeded at No. 1 this season), Chrissy Flynn (No. 2 doubles, part of fifth-seeded No. 1 doubles this season).
PHOTO: Utica's Davina Nguyen, here playing for the 2012 Lower Peninsula Division 1 title at No. 1 singles, is one of three reigning MHSAA No. 1 singles champions set to play again this weekend. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Sacred Heart Finds Title Formula Again
May 30, 2015
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – The Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart girls tennis team utilized a familiar formula as it turned in another title-winning effort at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final in Holland this weekend.
Following the same blueprint it used in winning the title in 2013, Sacred Heart won its third in the past four years. The Gazelles swept all four doubles flights and also won the title at No. 4 singles.
“We stress that every point matters,” Sacred Heart coach Judy Hehs said. “The points at first singles count just as much as the points at four doubles. Two years ago we won it the same way. We won all the doubles matches and also won at No. 4 singles. That has worked out well for us.”
The Gazelles finished with 34 points, followed by second-place Traverse City St. Francis with 27. Ludington took third place with 18 points.
Senior Teresa Walawender won the lone individual title for Sacred Heart. Seeded second at No. 4 singles, she defeated Anne Bandrowski of Traverse City St. Francis 6-4, 6-3, to win the title. It was her first individual title, while the team title was the third during her career.
Walawender also provided the Gazelles with leadership this year as one of the team’s captains.
“I’m a captain this year, and it’s even more special,” Walawender said. “This year I had to provide leadership for the team. We are a real close team, and we all support each other.”
While Academy of the Sacred Heart had won two of the previous three LP Division 4 titles, this year’s was no sure thing as the team suffered heavy graduation losses from a squad that placed sixth last season.
“We have six first-year players in the starting lineup,” Hehs said. “We have four freshmen and two transfer juniors. It took us a while to figure things out. It’s been a journey.”
The journey also had a number of obstacles. One hit the doubles lineup when Meghan Carroll suffered an injury at No. 4 at the end of the regular season. Sacred Heart responded by moving senior Sarah Panone into the lineup at No. 4 doubles with Stella Betrus. The combination clicked as Betrus and Panone won the Division 4 title at No. 4 doubles with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.
“We only started playing together at the end of the season,” Betrus said. “My partner (Carroll) hurt her foot and Sarah stepped in for her. It ended up working out great.”
Panone’s versatility helped the duo quickly jell.
“I think we meshed real well,” Panone said. “I’ve played one doubles and three singles. I play wherever I’m needed. This feels great.”
At No. 3 doubles, the Sacred Heart team of Tate Lehmann and Kathryn Monahan made their No. 1 seed hold up as they defeated Kalamazoo Christian 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
“I thought we played our best tennis at this tournament,” said Lehmann, a junior. “I think we meshed real well as a team. We have the same type of personality, and it worked out well.”
For Monahan, a freshman, it was her first MHSAA Finals experience.
“It was pretty cool,” Monahan said. “Hopefully we can do it again next year.”
Academy of the Sacred Heart made it a clean sweep as it won the title at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, Selina Fuchs and Abby Hildebrand defeated Ludington in two sets.
At No. 2, Sara Gerard and Kendall Gassman took the title with a three-set win against Ludington.
At No. 1 singles, Traverse City St. Francis junior Amanda Bandrowski broke through after a pair of final four appearances in her first two trips to the Finals. Bandrowski, who came in seeded third, defeated top-seeded Jeanne Nash of Sacred Heart 6-4, 6-4 in the title match at No. 1 singles.
“The past two years I lost in the semifinals,” Bandrowski said. “To win the title this time is great.”
Bandrowski had to be versatile to adapt to changing conditions as she twice had matches start outdoors but move indoors due to rain.
“I think I play better indoors anyway,” Bandrowski said. “I just had to be patient and wait for my opportunities. I stayed patient and made her miss. All of my matches were tough so I just had to stay focused and patient.”
Kalamazoo Christian junior Audrey Bouma was another player who had to stay patient and focused. Bouma needed three sets to hold off Bailey Chouinard of Traverse City St. Francis at No. 2 singles. Bouma was up 4-1 and 5-2 in the second set before Chouinard battled back to force a third.
“I think I started to let up at the end of the second set,” Bouma said. “In the third set I got my focus back. I started to focus on playing myself and hitting the ball and not focus on my opponent. My swing started to get faster and I didn’t let up.”
The title was the third straight singles title for Bouma, who won the No. 3 singles title as both a freshman and a sophomore.
“My freshman year I won the title in a match that was very similar,” Bouma said. “I won the first set but then lost the second one before coming back to win it in the third set.”
At No. 3 singles, Ann Arbor Greenhills junior Julia Friedman defeated Natalie Burke of Traverse City St Francis 6-0, 7-6 (4).
“It was a real close match and I thought it was going to go to a third set,” Friedman said.
For Friedman, who has been playing tennis for seven years, it was her first trip to the MHSAA Finals.
PHOTOS: (Top) Teresa Walawender of Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart returns a shot during Saturday's LP Division 4 Final at No. 4 singles. (Middle) Traverse City St. Francis' Amanda Bandrowski plays for the championship at No. 1 singles; she won in two sets. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).