This Time, Kingsford Reigns Alone
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 2, 2013
KINGSFORD — There were tears of sorrow, then tears of joy among some Kingsford High School tennis players as they were crowned MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 1 champions with 18 points Wednesday.
Negaunee, which shared last year’s title with Kingsford, was runner-up this time with 14. Third-place Escanaba had nine.
Kingsford reached the title round in all eight flights, but won only two.
“It was kind of bittersweet,” Kingsford coach Mark Shanks said. “None of our eight seniors won their flights. My daughter’s No. 1 doubles (seniors Anna Shanks and Kate Lamy) and No. 3 singles (senior Santina Bianco) went down today. This was the first loss in more than two years for Santina – although our three juniors won.
“We talked all week since the GNC (Great Northern Conference) meet how the U.P. Finals would be a different situation with single elimination. Had any of our kids lost in the semifinals, it would have meant no points in that flight. Our biggest challenge was getting to the finals without zeroes. That assured us of scoring at least 16 points.”
Juniors Ali VanRemortel and Jaelyn Jennings provided the Flivvers with their first championship in No. 2 doubles, taking a 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 decision from Negaunee senior Kylee Taavola and junior Hanna Kantola.
“We tend to start slow, but we always stay positive,” VanRemortel said. “We just forget about our mistakes and play our game. We played a more conservative first set because we hadn’t seen them since the beginning of the season.”
Taavola-Kantola, often attacking the net early in the match, built leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in the first set.
They led for the final time at 6-5. But the Flivvers then tied the score by taking advantage of a pair of double faults prior to pulling out that set.
“It took a little while for us to adjust to what they were doing,” Jennings said. “They were playing very well. In the break between the first and second set, we could tell we were coming on and we weren’t going to let up. It’s awesome to feel this way. There was definitely some pressure coming in here as the favored team. We knew everybody was coming after Kingsford.”
Kingsford junior Janay Walters earned the No. 2 singles crown with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Negaunee senior Abbi Kill.
“We were about even (in ability) and hustling after the ball really helped,” Walters said. “I’ve gotten better at recovering after every play. Thankfully, I was able to keep returning the ball. I knew I had to bring my A game. It’s tough to play Abbi because she’s very good with her placement of the ball, and her shots are hard and solid.”
Negaunee junior Allison Carlson finished a perfect season with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 victory over Kingsford senior Hannah Tresedder in No. 1 singles.
“I just tried to be consistent and be in position when she came to the net,” said Carlson, who also plays hockey for the Marquette Sentinels travel team. “She came to the net a lot, so I wanted to hit the ball deep. She’s a good player. It’s always a good match when I play her.”
At No. 3 singles, Negaunee sophomore Angie Ring topped Bianco 6-4, 6-1.
“As a whole, I’m proud of our girls,” said Negaunee coach Kyle Saari. “We knew it was going to be a battle with Kingsford. Anytime you have seniors in the U.P. Finals, you never know what’s going through their minds with this being their last high school match. For Angie to come here as a sophomore and beat a senior who hasn’t lost in more than two years is a great effort on her part. Allison is a true athlete. Athletes like her know how to grind a point out. They just find a way to get the ball over the net.
“We have a fairly young team and (we’re) pleased with being runner-up. You’re dealt a new hand every year, and that’s what’s fun about high school sports.”
Negaunee also claimed No. 4 singles where junior Dana DeBretto topped Kingsford freshman Katy Hicks 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Escanaba junior Olivia Berquist and senior Shelby Gregoire took No. 1 doubles in a 6-2, 6-1 conquest of Kingsford seniors Anna Shanks and Kate Lamy.
“We kept playing strong this year,” said Berquist, who teamed with Gregoire for the No. 4 doubles crown last season. “This is very different from No. 4 doubles because it’s a lot harder. The team we just played has been in No. 1 doubles since they were sophomores. We just found a way to push through it.”
This marked the first time in five meetings this year the Berquist-Gregoire duo beat Shanks and Lamy.
“We went three sets with them in the GNC meet (on Sept. 25),” said Gregoire. “The first time we played them, they blew us out of the water. Since then, we had gotten a little closer each time. The momentum we gained from winning the first set was huge. This is the best way to end my senior year, for sure.”
In No. 3 doubles, Escanaba junior Olivia LaForest and sophomore Emily LaFave outlasted Kingsford seniors Megan VanPembrook and Taylor Jacobson 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) for the title.
“A lot of it is we’re learning to relax and take it one point at a time,” said LaForest. “The will for us to win this after beating them in the GNCs was huge. We kept telling each other and ourselves we could do it. This may be a game of physical challenge, but much of it is mental.”
LaFave had similar thoughts.
“We just wanted to be a little more patient,” she said. “We tried to let the game come to us. It’s really fun playing with Olivia. She keeps my spirits up when I’m down, and I try to keep her spirits up when she’s down.”
Marquette took the remaining flight (No. 4 doubles) with sophomores Brenna Leafers and Aubrey Reynolds-Erspamer defeating Kingsford seniors Abby Johnson and Kelsey Bennett 6-2, 6-7, 6-1.
Click for full championship match results.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kingsford's Anna Shanks sends a shot back toward Negaunee during the No. 1 doubles semifinal match on Wednesday. (Middle) Escanaba's Johanna Snowden swoops in to defend a spike from Menominee's Molly Jackson during their quarterfinal match at No. 1 singles. (Photos by Keith Shelton for Second Half).
Marquette Ends Negaunee 5-Year Reign
October 2, 2019
By Ryan Spitza
Special for Second Half
NEGAUNEE — All good things must come to an end.
After a five-year run as Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion, the Negaunee girls tennis team was dethroned by Marquette on Wednesday at the MHSAA Final played at the Negaunee Tennis Complex.
The Redettes claimed the team title for the first time since 2005, earning 17 points to the Miners' 10. Menominee was third with seven points, while Kingsford and Escanaba each had six and Gladstone three.
Marquette advanced to six out of eight flight finals, including all four singles matches, while the Miners advanced to three. The Maroons also competed in three flights, while the Flivvers made it to two flights and the Braves and Eskymos each to one.
It was a long time coming for Marquette, and head coach Derek Sandstrom has seen many athletes come through the program over the years who came up just a little bit short.
"It's been a while; it's been a long time," he said. "We've had a lot of great girls along the way who didn't get to this point, but I don't want to belittle them at all. We've had some great tennis players and great kids come through this program. This group is just the one that brought home a trophy."
Marquette had two losses in duals all season, both to the Miners. Those meetings were close though, and Sandstrom knew that things could've gone either way Wednesday.
“A couple of bounces here and there is all it takes,” Sandstrom said. “We played tough with Negaunee during the regular season. I told the girls, the last meet we played them, they won the match score but if you look at the actual scorecard, each team won 10. We were there, we just had to do something to get over the hump. Individually, some of the girls found their way."
The Redettes claimed four finals flights, two singles and two doubles.
In the top singles flight, Elysa Olivier topped Menominee's Jenna Nolde to cap an undefeated senior season and earn the third individual Finals title of her high school career.
"I just tried to focus and have fun," Olivier said. "We played earlier in the season, and I beat (Nolde) 6-0, 6-4 that time. She's a very good player."
Piercing cold weather in the 40s throughout the day didn't affect Olivier, who topped Nolde in two sets again, this time 6-0, 6-2.
"I actually prefer playing in the cold rather than the sun," Olivier said. "I don't really like serving into the sun. I don't think (cold) really affects you at all. You just need to conserve your energy."
Olivier will look to join her older brother Alec as part of the Ferris State University tennis programs next season.
The Redettes' other singles win came in the No. 2 flight, with fellow senior Mollie Kilpela topping Menominee's Josie Hofer in two sets, 7-6, 7-6.
Marquette also claimed Nos. 3 and 4 doubles, with the team of Zoey Brian and Ruth Hummell topping Escanaba’s Maddy Michica and Gracie Wickham 6-4, 6-4 in the third flight, while Julianna Golisek and Alyson LaBelle defeated Kingsford's Liz Penegor and Jenna Olkkonen 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4.
Sandstrom was pleased with his team's performance, and said this is only a small chapter in their lives ahead.
"The girls played well," he said. "We had some ups and downs throughout the year. Elysa and Mollie, they were the runner of the ship and we just followed their lead. We finally kept up with them all the way to the end of the year.
"I'm really proud of the girls. It's just a really cool group of kids. None of them are peaking at high school. They're all going to go on to bigger and better things, and this is something they'll remember when they come back for their 10-year class reunion and stuff like that. I'm proud of the way they came together as a team, and they all genuinely love each other. That's the cool part."
It was the end of a half-decade run for Negaunee, but the Miners still had a strong day winning three championship matches.
Lexi Mason defeated Marquette's Campbell Kallio at No. 3 singles in two sets, 6-3, 7-5. Negaunee also claimed the top two doubles flights, with the team of Morgan Carlson and Katelyn Lammi topping Menominee's Megan Francour and Emma Anderson 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1, and the team of Shaylee Menhennick and Tianna Williams edging Gladstone's Emily Marenger and Emma DeLaire 6-3, 6-2.
Miners coach Kyle Saari said it was a year of exciting challenges for his team, and he was proud of the way his players battled throughout a season of learning.
"Each and every year is fun," he said. "As you come into it, each and every year presents a little different and unique challenge. I was very pleased with the way we ended up going through the regular season with a team that was kind of learning on the go and learning as we kind of transitioned. I'm proud of our girls in that regard.
"What happens sometimes when you enter those tournament situations at the end of the year, sometimes that becomes the time where girls don't really know what to expect. A lot of girls will return next year. I think they've learned a lot from the conference and U.P. tournaments in terms of preparation and how to handle a match day and things like that. That'll be good for us moving forward."
Saari credited his three individual champions as well as the Redettes for putting out strong finals performances.
"At No. 1, Morgan and Katelyn have been super consistent all year long. They're good friends, they're both good athletes and their games have complemented each other well,” he said. “They've been good leaders for our team as a whole and the way that they practice, the way that they support the other girls, it's good to see them rewarded.
"Lexi at No. 3 singles put together a really solid year. She got better each time out and was definitely deserving of that No. 3 singles championship.
"Looking at the performance as a whole, the key for anybody is always getting flights through to the finals. Marquette had a tremendous day. They played well throughout their lineup and put six in the finals. We had three. We were able to win all three, but to win a U.P. Final, your depth really has to carry you. Some days it does, and some it doesn't."
The only final that didn't go to the Miners or Redettes was No. 4 singles, which saw Kingsford's Lizzy Cross defeat Marquette's Haddie Ketzenberger 6-3, 6-2.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Elysa Olivier returns a volley during a No. 1 singles match Wednesday. (Middle) Negaunee's Jillian Skewis sends the ball back while playing No. 2 singles (Photos by Amy Grigas).