Preview: Familiar Favorites, New Leaders
June 1, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The favorites to win team championships at this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals aren’t too much of a surprise – six of eight teams ranked first or second by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association at the end of this regular season finished either first or second at one of last year’s four championship tournaments.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for change.
Traverse City St. Francis in Division 4 is favored to win its first MHSAA title, while Grand Rapids Christian should be in the mix in Division 3 to win for the first time as well. And only one of four No. 1 singles champions from 2015 is back this weekend.
Matches begin Friday, with final rounds Saturday morning, and coverage of all four tournaments will be posted to Second Half by Saturday evening. Below is a brief look at top contenders at each tournament; click for more including brackets and seeds for all 32 flights plus specific sites where each flight will begin play.
LP Division 1 at Midland Tennis Center
Top ranked: No. 1 Midland Dow, No. 2 Northville, No. 3 Grosse Pointe South.
Northville won its first MHSAA championship a year ago finishing five points ahead of Midland Dow, which is favored this time to win its first team title since 2009. Grosse Pointe South finished third last season and was champion in 2014 and 2012.
Midland Dow: The Chargers are seeded at all eight flights with top seeds at Nos. 2 and 3 singles (Caroline Szabo, Sarah Ismail) and No. 1 doubles (Afua Ofori-Darko and Kamryn Matthews). Ofori-Darko and Matthews won No. 1 doubles last season, while Jessica Brown (sixth-seeded at No. 1) and Hadley Camp (third-seeded at No. 4) were runners-up at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, respectively. Kelly Livingston also brings championship match experience – she’s seeded third at No. 2 doubles this weekend with Meghan Killmaster but was part of the runner-up pair at No. 2 a year ago – and Szabo was the No. 2 singles runner-up as a freshman in 2014.
Northville: Three of Northville’s singles players from last season’s title run are back on that side of the line-up this weekend, as are a handful of experienced doubles standouts. Emma Worley returns at No. 1 singles, as does reigning champion Shanoli Kumar at No. 2 and reigning No. 3 champion Joanne Gao; both Kumar and Gao are seeded second in their flights this time. Serena Wang was part of the No. 4 doubles champion a year ago; she’s seeded second with Maya Mulchandani at No. 1. Reeshma Kumar and Molly Bis are the top seed at No. 2 doubles – Kumar was part of the No. 1 runner-up in 2015 and Bis partnered with Wang as the No. 4 winner. Neha Chava and Sophie Zhuang are seeded first at No. 3 doubles (Chava was seeded at No. 4 singles a year ago), and Brittany Macaddino and Alexandria Petix are seeded first at No. 4 doubles.
Grosse Pointe South: Four seeded doubles pairs will be key in South staying in contention; the No. 1 pair is seeded fourth with Hanna Wilhelm and Madie Flournoy, with Flournoy the No. 4 singles champion as a freshman in 2013. No. 1 singles player Raven Neely is seeded second after making the semifinals with that seed a year ago and also as the third seed in 2014.
Bloomfield Hills’ Tia Mukherjee – One of the standout freshmen regardless of division, Mukherjee is seeded third at No. 1 singles and split matches against South’s Neely this season.
Utica Eisenhower’s Ava Thielman – Last season’s runner-up at No. 1 singles, now a junior, enters as the fourth seed after playing as the top seed a season ago.
West Bloomfield’s Anika Tarlagadda – West Bloomfield’s top player is arguably the top freshman in the state and seeded first at No. 1 singles after defeating Mukherjee in their Regional’s championship match.
Another returning 2015 flight champion – Traverse City Central’s Autumn Roberts (No. 4 singles last season, No. 2 singles this season).
LP Division 2 at Holly
Top ranked: No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Marian, No. 2 Birmingham Seaholm, No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
Two of the above three teams have won and finished second in every LP Division 2 Final since 2009, and at least one of the three has claimed the title every season since 2002. Finals 2015 saw Seaholm claim the championship by a point over Forest Hills Northern and six over Marian after sharing the title with Forest Hills Northern in 2014.
Bloomfield Hills Marian: All eight flights are seeded, with three top seeds including two at doubles. No. 1 doubles pair McKenna Landis and Regan Patterson have a top seed after Landis won the title last year with now-graduated partner Bianca Emde, and No. 2 doubles pair Melanie Roma and Shannon Flynn also earned the top seed in their flight with Flynn coming off a runner-up finish at No. 3 with graduated Marta Colosimo in 2015. Carolina Cibulas at No. 3 singles earned that other top seed, but a pair of past champions also return to the singles lineup; Breann Lunghamer, seeded second at No. 2, won No. 3 in 2013; and Sophie Balardo, fourth-seeded at No. 4, won that flight in 2014.
Birmingham Seaholm: Two top-seeded doubles pairs and two second-seeded doubles lead the way. Caity Buechner and Meaghan Flynn were the champions at No. 2 last season and are seeded second at No. 1, and Sam Lareau and Emily McDermott are seeded second at No. 2 after winning No. 3 doubles a year ago. Catherine Markley and Ellie Benson at No. 3 and Alex Wineman and Emma Latessa at No. 4 have top seeds, but there’s also a past champion in singles in Lisa Johnston, who’s seeded third at No. 2 after winning No. 3 singles last season.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: The Huskies’ most successful returnees from last season – No. 2 doubles runners-up Felicia Zhang and Maansi Dalmia – are split up this time, with Zhang second-seeded at No. 3 singles and Dalmia teaming with Ellie Katz for the fourth-seeded pair at No. 1 doubles. Freshman Olivia Dicks at No. 1 singles has the team’s lone top seed, but total six flights are seeded to make semifinals.
Mason’s Olivia Hanover: The Bulldogs junior advanced to the semifinals at No. 1 singles last season as the second-seeded player and enters with the second seed again.
Okemos’ Alisa Sabatic: For the first time in three seasons, there will be a new No. 1 singles champion after two-time winner Emily Struble graduated. But holding the top seed this weekend is another Okemos player, sophomore Sabatic.
LP Division 3 at Holland
Top ranked: No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, No. 2 Detroit Country Day, No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood is seeking a sixth straight Division 3 title, a streak that would tie for fifth longest among girls tennis teams in MHSAA history. And the Cranes will be plenty motivated after defeating Detroit Country Day in a dual but then finishing runner-up to the Yellowjackets at their Regional. Don’t forget Grand Rapids Christian, which finished runner-up a year ago and has the strongest doubles of this tournament.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: All four singles players plus a doubles team are seeded first or second. Senior Allison Motea is the top seed at No. 1 and won No. 3 singles as a freshman, while Emily Harvey is second-seeded at No. 2 after finishing runner-up at that flight a year ago. Madison Narens is seeded second at No. 3, Emma Sable is the top seed at No. 4, and Sauma Du and Alexandra Bowers are the top seed at No. 3 doubles; Bowers was part of the champion at No. 4 last season and Du was part of the runner-up at No. 3. The No. 2 doubles pair of Amelia Smith and Kate Cao is seeded third and also brings plenty of championship experience, with Smith serving as Bowers’ partner in 2015 and Cao coming off a runner-up finish at No. 4 singles.
Detroit Country Day: The Yellowjackets finished third last season, five points back, despite three singles championships and a runner-up finish at the top flight. That runner-up, Sasha Hartje, is back and seeded second at No. 1, with Monique Karoub the top seed at No. 2, reigning champion Sadina Fadel the top seed at No. 3 and Jenna Lee seeded second at No. 4. More help is expected from doubles with three top-two seeds, led by No. 1 top seed Elle Hartje and Haley Mullins. Mullins was the No. 2 singles runner-up in 2014 and No. 3 runner-up in 2013.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles finished runner-up a year ago, four points back, with three doubles teams finishing first or second, and all eight flights are seeded third or higher this weekend. Doubles could lead again, with Caroline Heule and Olivia DeVos the top seed at No. 2 and Emily Schellenboom and Peyton Russell the top seed at No. 4 – and with Hannah Slenk and McKenzie Moorhead the second seed at No. 1 and Kate Zwiers and Natalie DeBoer the third seed at No. 3 after both pairs won those flights last year.
LP Division 4 at Kalamazoo College
Top ranked: No. 1 Traverse City St. Francis, No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett.
Academy of the Sacred Heart has won three of the last four championships and finished a comfortable seven points ahead of St. Francis last season. But that was the Gladiators’ best finish ever, and they’re riding plenty of momentum after sweeping the flight championships at their Regional.
Traverse City St. Francis: The Gladiators bring in two top seeds and two second seeds plus a reigning champion at No. 1 singles. Amanda Bandrowski may be seeded only third at No. 1 this time but won the title in straight sets a year ago. Bailey Chouinard is the third seed at No. 2 after finishing runner-up at that flight in 2015, and Anne Bandrowski is the top seed at No. 3 after finishing runner-up at No. 4 a year ago. St. Francis didn’t get a doubles pair to the championship round last time, but enter with Bethany Richey and Mary Margaret Sutherland top-seeded at No. 2 and two other pairs carrying second seeds.
Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart: The Gazelles swept doubles last season, and seven players from that group of eight are playing again this weekend in some combination. Kendall Gassman and Sara Gerard are fourth-seeded at No. 1 after winning No. 2 a year ago, while Abby Hildebrand (part of the No. 1 champion in 2015) teams with Gretchen Lemon for the second seed at No. 2. Reigning No. 3 champions Tate Lehman and Kathryn Monahan are back as the top seed at that flight, while Stella Betrus will play for a second straight title at No. 4, this time with Meghan Carroll. Selina Fuchs teamed with Hildebrand last season, but this weekend is the second seed at No. 3 singles, and fourth-seeded Jeannie Nash is the reigning runner-up at No. 1.
Kalamazoo Hackett: Three top-seeded singles players make Hackett dangerous after it scored just a point a year ago. Kate Ketels, who has signed with Gonzaga University, is the top seed at No. 1, while Natalie Moyer is the top seed at No. 2 and Lizzie Stull the top seed at No. 4. Three other flights also have top-four seeds.
Kalamazoo Christian’s Lizzie Bauss: She’s the second seed at No. 1 singles after making the semifinals and then losing to Nash last season as the fourth seed.
Other returning 2015 flight champions: Kalamazoo Christian’s Audrey Bouma (No. 2 singles), Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Julia Friedman (No. 3 singles).
PHOTO: Bloomfield Hills Marian’s McKenna Landis returns a shot during last season’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final on the way to her and partner Bianca Emde’s championship at No. 1 doubles. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Mattawan's Novaks Claim League Titles, Ready to Pursue Next Championship Goals
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
May 17, 2022
MATTAWAN — In a family steeped in tennis history, one member is forging his own path.
Matt Novak has been tearing up the course as Mattawan’s top golfer.
The sophomore won the individual medalist honor in the 36-hole Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Championship two weeks ago and carded the best nine-hole average in SMAC West matches this season.
“He’s having quite a year so far, and we are just very excited to take this ride with him,” Mattawan’s first-year coach Troy Pelak said.
Novak’s sister, Lizzie, is also having a stellar season as the Wildcats’ top tennis player.
She, too, won the SMAC Championship last weekend and, after recovering from an early-season injury, takes a 9-0 record into this week’s Regional.
“Her big win (this year) was vs. Forest Hills Northern (ranked No. 1 in the state in Lower Peninsula Division 2),” said Matt Boven, in his 24th season coaching the Wildcats.
Mattawan tennis is ranked sixth.
As a freshman, Lizzie Novak won the LPD2 Finals No. 2 singles title playing behind her sister, Kate, who is now playing tennis at Bucknell (Pa.) University.
COVID-19 caused Lizzie Novak’s sophomore season to be canceled, and she opted to play USTA tournaments her junior year but hopes to add one more MHSAA title to her resume.
If she does, she will finish with just one fewer than her dad, David Novak, who won three state titles at Hackett Catholic Central, one at No. 2 singles in 1983 and two at No. 1 singles (1985, 1986).
Matt Novak played tennis at a young age, but “I didn’t like it as much as my sisters did, so I decided to pursue golf more in the summer,” he said.
“I like that you’re really out there by yourself, and you’re playing against the course and not a specific person. You push yourself every single time you’re out there.”
The sophomore also plays hockey during the winter, which has helped his golf game.
“A couple of my coaches taught me how to be a good leader,” he said. “I think I translated a lot of my leader skills from hockey into golf.”
That includes his slap shot which “definitely helps with power off the tee in that long ball,” he said.
Pelak said although Matt is the youngest on the team, he is the team leader.
“We had an event earlier in the year and we took third of 21 teams,” Pelak said. “The team said, ‘This is pretty good,’ and Matt said, ‘Guys, we’re here to win, not place third.’ That’s the message he sent right away.”
Junior Will Kuiper said teammates have a lot of respect for Novak.
“He knows a lot about golf, and he wants to help the team get better,” Kuiper said. “He’ll help you after practice.
“He’ll be hard on us sometimes, but he just wants us to get better. He just wants the team to win.”
That passion for golf sometimes leaves Novak out of family chatter.
“I feel singled out at the dinner table when they’re all talking about their tennis and I’m over here just thinking about golf,” he said, laughing.
His sister agrees.
“We’ll go full tennis and Matt will go, ‘What about me?’ We’ll try to turn to him, but no one can relate to him as much,” she said.
“I think he has the attitude for tennis, but I think it’s kinda fun that he has something different from tennis. Golf is more exciting for him.”
The senior, who is headed to University of Richmond in the fall, is also a team leader.
“I feel I bring a lot of leadership and energy and excitement,” she said. “Some of these players are so much more inexperienced.
“I’m trying to get everyone together on and off the court. I’ve been having a blast. We’ve improved every week, and I hope we can make it to State.”
Tennis suits her, Lizzie Novak said.
“I feel like I’m kind of a control freak,” she said. “I like everything a certain way, and I don’t want someone else to mess up. I can mess up.”
She thanks her sister for steering her to tennis.
“I was obsessed with my sister when I was younger, and she started playing tennis, so that’s what I’ll do,” she said. “She quit dance, I quit dance. It worked, and I love it. It’s just like breathing to me at this point.”
The senior has one more weapon to help her: She’s a lefty which, at times, gives her an advantage since most players are used to facing righties.
“When I play someone left-handed, I’m like, this is terrible, but I like it,” she laughed.
Boven said Lizzie Novak brings power to the team.
“Having a star at No 1 singles puts her other teammates in a position to win,” he said. “It gives other opportunities and actually strengthens other flights.
“To have someone who’s basically a guaranteed point really does a great deal for the team.”
Other seniors on the tennis team are Romika Shokohi, Ashley Goding, Adelaide Douglass and Sloane Lohroff; juniors are Emma Coleman and Madison Pratt. Sophomores are Madison Engel and Kendall Coon, while freshmen are Sienna Watts, Nadia Baird and Emma Pratt.
Boven said it will be strange not having a Novak on a tennis team next year, but he still has hope.
Talking about trying to convince Matt Novak to play tennis, he said, “Absolutely I did, and I’m still trying to talk him into it. I hear he’s a natural, and tennis is in his blood.
“I love his personality. I think he could bring charisma and some talent to the team. So, yes, on a daily basis I’m trying to talk Matthew into playing tennis.”
That may be wishful hoping on Boven’s part.
Novak is totally focused on golf.
“We made it to Regionals but did not qualify for states last year, and I, sadly, didn't qualify (individually),” he said. “(This year) we’re strong, and we have to work on consistency.
“We definitely have a couple guys who can go low. It just matters if we can do it more than once, shoot a good round and the next day shoot a good round again.”
Pelak has six seniors on varsity: Logan McClish, Andrew Keorkunian, Jared Yetter, Zach Sylvester, Seth Reeves and Brady Weller.
Juniors include Blake Welch and Cameron Graver, and the other sophomore is Eason Haller.
Pelak said Novak possesses the qualities of a top golfer.
“In addition to scoring, which is obviously very important in golf, he plays with tremendous poise. His course management skills are off the chart,” Pelak said.
“He does a good job of not getting too high or low and really manages himself on the course with a lot of poise. He’s not emotional, which is perfect for a golfer.”
With two top athletes usually competing on the same day, the Novaks have come up with a plan.
“My mom (Meredith) usually likes to take the tennis and my dad likes golf,” Matt Novak said. “It gets too stressful watching my sister.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Sister Lizzie and brother Matt Novak are among Mattawan athletes with high aspirations as their sports approach postseason play this spring. (2) From left, Mattawan girls tennis coach Matt Boven, boys golf coach Troy Pelak and golfer Will Kuiper. (3) Lizzie Novak returns a volley during a recent tennis practice. (4) Matt Novak putts during a golf practice. (Boven head shot courtesy of Mattawan’s girls tennis program; all other photos by Pam Shebest.)