Past D2 Champs Share This Season's Title
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
September 29, 2016
KINGSFORD — Prior to 2015, Ishpeming Westwood was enjoying a six-year championship reign in the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Girls Tennis Finals.
Then it was Munising’s turn to celebrate its first championship a year ago.
Both schools were celebrating on a mostly sunny and cool Wednesday as they shared this season’s title with 16 points apiece. Iron River West Iron County placed third with 14.
“The last one is always the best one,” said Westwood coach Chris Jackson. “You never know when you’re going to win it again. We went into this season with what we thought would be a solid lineup, then about 3-4 girls moved out of the district. We needed some younger kids to step in and do some things. We’ve been building all year. Our lineup had to be moved around. We had to ask our depth to step up.”
Munising also had to overcome a few things to maintain a share of the title, as coach Rod Gendron explained.
“We don’t have enough courts to host a meet,” he said. “All the girls had to practice on what we had, although I think that made our team even closer. Our team chemistry has been good. We’re always supporting each other. Westwood is a tough team, no doubt about it. We’re very happy with our performance.”
Munising secured its share in No. 3 singles where Kelsea Ackerman posted a 6-3, 6-3 victory over West Iron’s Isabelle Hoogenboom.
Westwood clinched its share a short time earlier in No. 1 doubles, with seniors Mady Mattson and Averie Kangas gaining a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Munising seniors Marissa Immel and Bailey Downs during a match that endured a half-hour rain delay.
“We really wanted this one,” said Mattson. “We were on top of our game. It felt like we had good energy, then it took a little while for us to get that back (after the delay).”
Immel and Downs, who edged the Westwood duo on a tie-breaker during the regular season, returned to the court with plenty of energy after the showers moved through the area. By then, however, they were trailing 3-1 in the second set and didn’t seem to have an answer for Mattson and Kangas’ lobs over the net.
“We felt if we moved around a lot and communicated, we could find the holes,” said Kangas. “They’re a good team, but I think the rain delay helped us refocus.”
Gendron was impressed with Westwood’s performance at No. 1 doubles.
“Their overhand shots and soft lobs over the net were very effective, and they made very few errors,” he said. “Marissa and Bailey gave us two great years. They won a lot of matches.”
Munising senior Frankie Mattson dispatched West Iron sophomore Katarina Serbentas 6-1, 6-1 for her first title at No. 1 singles.
“I thought my serving was pretty consistent,” Mattson said. “I think I got to her a little mentally. Being a senior, there’s a lot of pressure on you, especially when you’re the No. 1 seed. I was runner-up here last year, which I think motivated me. I’m happy with how things ended. Katarina is a good player. She has two good years of tennis ahead of her.”
Munising junior Marissa Ackerman also was crowned champion for the first time after taking a 6-2, 6-0 decision from Westwood’s Marissa Carello.
Both players appeared to follow a conservative approach in the first set. Ackerman then took charge in the second after gaining the first point on a lob over the net.
“I think that kind of set the tone,” she said. “I always try to hit the ball short when my opponent is on the back line. I started going more for angles and hitting the ball harder in the second set. There’s a lot of pressure, but this is definitely worth it. I think losing in the finals last year had a great impact on today. I was able to learn some things from that. I had a better attitude than I did in last year’s finals.”
Gendron was happy with the performance by the Mustangs’ singles.
“Frankie played lights out in the finals,” he said. “Everybody at No. 1 singles is a good player. Marissa and Kelsea (Ackerman) hadn’t lost a set all year. I’m looking forward to them stepping up to No. 1 and 2 next year.”
Westwood grabbed the top three flights in doubles, including Madelyn Koski-Tessa Leece’s 7-6, 6-3 conquest of Munising’s Talatha Witty-Keira Stamply at No. 3
“The key to our lineup is all six of our seniors played their best tennis all year,” said Jackson. “They wanted to be leaders. They did what they had to do. It all started with the (Mid-Peninsula) conference meet when Negaunee beat us by just one point (39-38). I think that was a confidence builder for our girls.”
West Iron earned a victory at No. 4 doubles as Aly Pangrazzi-Eden Golliher topped Westwood’s Erin Paavo-Aubrie Magnuson 6-3, 6-2.
“We told our girls it would be within 1-2 points (for the title), and we came up a little short today,” said Wykons’ coach Joe Serbentas. “We’re a young team. We had three sophomores in the singles finals. Yet, we were right there. Last year, we weren’t in the mix. We came a long way this year and were 9-2 in dual meets. We had a very nice season. The future looks good.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Munising's Frankie Mattson follows through on a swing during Wednesday's Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals on the way to winning No. 1 singles. (Middle) Ishpeming Westwood's Paige Rivard and Cayla Ostola also were among flight champions, at No. 2 doubles. (Photos by Adam Niemi)
Performance: TC Central's Autumn Roberts
May 4, 2018
Autumn Roberts
Traverse City Central senior – Tennis
Traverse City Central’s No. 1 singles player became the latest in a long line of Trojans to claim her 100th win, reaching the milestone with two more at last week’s Saginaw Heritage quad to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.” Roberts claimed her 99th career victory in a tie-breaker against Grand Blanc’s Ava Dunlap, then her 100th in straight sets over Davison’s Krystan Delay.
Roberts’ record this season is 10-6, and her career record now stands at 106-24. While Roberts became the 44th player in Traverse City Central girls tennis history to reach 100 victories, she’s the only one in program history to win an MHSAA Finals singles championship – she finished first at No. 4 singles in Lower Peninsula Division 1 as a freshman as her team finished fifth overall. Roberts moved up to No. 2 singles as a sophomore as the Trojans tied for 12th in Division 1, and last season she won a Regional title at No. 1 singles and made all-state as the Trojans tied for fifth in Division 2. Central is ranked No. 7 in Division 2 this week, and the Trojans have taken on some of the best across the Lower Peninsula – five of Roberts’ six defeats this spring have come against players from teams ranked in Division 1 or 2. She also owns wins over Kaitlyn Fox of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central – last season’s Division 2 runner-up at No. 2 singles – and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood’s Emma Sable, the Cranes’ top player when they finished third in Division 3 in 2017.
Roberts carries a 3.8 grade-point average and will attend Michigan State University. She’s a member of the National Business Honor Society and will major in finance on a track to become a chartered financial analyst. She also was a member of the Traverse City Central girls bowling team as a junior, something she did more for fun. Tennis is the serious pursuit – but as captain this spring she’s made fun a focus for this team as well as it’s continued to rank among the state’s elite.
Coach Shane Dilloway said: “Autumn's success starts with the years she has spent on the court. Leading up to high school, she dreamed of playing Trojan tennis, and her dedication to that dream turned into reality her freshman year when she earned a singles position in a highly experienced singles lineup. Since then, Autumn has climbed the singles ladder to play 1 singles her junior and senior years. She thrives on competition, adapts quickly to each match, has a versatile game and is extremely coachable. One of her strongest attributes is she doesn't put her emotions on display, aside from the joy she has for the sport. She experiences a range of emotions internally, from self-doubt to pure glee, but she keeps that hidden from her opponents. Above her inside-out forehand and touch volleys, her poker face may be her greatest weapon. She's an asset to the program and elevates everyone's game. Her ability and skills challenge her peers to rise to their best, and her respect for the game, her opponents, and the overall environment make Autumn a leader by example.”
Performance Point: “I had an idea of how many wins I had going into the tournament,” Roberts said. “I originally thought that I wasn’t going to get the 100th win that day because I started losing my first match; I needed two wins, so if I didn’t win the first match, I wasn’t going to get my 100th. But I actually came back in the second set and it went to a tie-breaker, and I ended up winning. And after that one, I kinda had a feeling – I had really positive energy and I was able to get my 100th later in the day. … I’ve played tennis all my life, and I was always looking forward to joining the century club because I knew a lot of people who hit their 100th their senior year, and I have a lot of friends who are in the club. It’s really cool, and it’s great to be part of that experience, and now I get a banner with all my other friends in the century club.”
Finding treasure: “Obviously the state title was pretty great freshman year. But honestly, my teammates were really making each season so great. Winning is fun and all, but I think just the memories of everyone on the team is what I’ll treasure most later in life. Looking back, it’s really just smiling and laughing with my friends – but the wins are fun too.”
Captain Roberts: “When I came in as a freshman, it was just me and another girl, and we were kinda on the outskirts at first because the team had known each other for so long. After I won the state title, it brought me in. And then throughout the years, as new people came in, I would round everyone up and I was able to get the captain position this year. I feel like I’ve really grown as a player and as a teammate, being able to bring everyone together as that leading figure. (Grown by) just really being comfortable on the court, and off the court, and just keeping a positive mindset and getting everyone else fired up to play. I know how it feels to be scared at first, but I think I’m doing a good job of incorporating everyone, making everyone feel comfortable. Everyone’s just having fun.”
Let’s make a run: “Everyone on the team is doing really well. We have some underclassmen handling the pressure really well. I think we’re going to improve over the season and come out pretty strong at states, hopefully. I think going into playing really good DI schools (as part of the tough regular-season schedule), it’s not being so hard on yourself and keeping that positive mindset. Because if you go in expecting a bad outcome or just trying to hit whatever, you’re going to mess up. If we just refocus, regroup, give ourselves some credit for being how good we actually are, then going into those big matches it will change the outcome. … I want each flight to gain some confidence, and playing against the top dogs I want to test them a little bit, give them a good match, not give up. If we’re down, I want to be able to come back and fight and just give it our all. We have some big tournaments coming up – one in Holly this weekend -- and just hitting as hard as we can and giving it our best, it will really help us.”
Making it count: “Since it’s my last year, I just want to leave without any regrets. I don’t want to look back and think, ‘Oh I should’ve done this,’ so I think in the moment not letting my head get away from me and staying focused on each point. Even if I lose, I just want to feel like I gave it my best shot.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
April 26: Thomas Robinson, Wyoming Lee track & field - Read
March 29: Carlos Johnson, Benton Harbor basketball - Read
March 22: Shine Strickland-Gills, Saginaw Heritage basketball - Read
March 15: Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian swimming - Read
March 8: Dakota Greer, Howard City Tri-County wrestling - Read
March 1: Camree' Clegg, Wayne Memorial basketball - Read
February 23: Aliah Robertson, Sault Ste. Marie swimming - Read
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City West golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Traverse City Central’s Autumn Roberts returns a volley during her team’s home quad. (Middle) Roberts follows through during an MHSAA Finals match at Hope College last season. (Photos courtesy of the Traverse City Central girls tennis program.)