Clarkston wins first tennis regional, Rochester also advances
RETURN TO SENDER: Rochester's Jen Chen returns a serve during play at No. 2 doubles at Thursday's Division 1 regional. Chen and the Falcons finished second to advance to the state finals for the fourth straight season. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — With each passing match, Kelsey Dieters seems to be getting better.
The senior No. 1 singles star from Rochester High picked up three more wins Thursday at a Division 1 regional, giving her a stellar 101-5 record in her career and her fourth straight regional title, all at the top flight.
She did so by taking down one of the state’s other top players, Clarkston junior Gabriella Spindler, 6-1, 6-0, in the finals at No. 1 singles.
“I always want to play my best,” said Dieters, who signed last November with Ohio State. “It doesn’t matter who I’m playing. I only know how to go out and play my best.”
While Dieters, a three-time state semifinalist who was upset in the state tournament last season, likely locked down the No.1 overall seed for the state finals, which will be held June 3-4 at Midland Community Tennis Center, top-ranked Clarkston is now one step away from its season-long goal of winning a state title. The Wolves emerged victorious at the 10-school regional, collecting 30 points, to enter the big stage on a mission.
Clarkston, which won its first-ever regional title and also set a school record for most points in a regional, enter the final weekend of the season as the favorite. The Wolves took over the No. 1 spot in the rankings two weeks ago and are having a dream season, which includes a 20-0-1 record and several tournament wins, including Thursday’s regional.
“We have been (reaching) our goals. Now, it’s on to (the state finals),” said Clarkston coach Beckie Freeman, whose team finished seventh at last year’s state meet. “We have one more goal.”
The top two teams, additional teams scoring 18 or more points, and the finalists at No. 1 singles from each region all advance to the state finals.
Clarkston had finalists in all eight flights and won six of them en route to scoring 30 out of a maximum 32 points. Rochester, ranked ninth, grabbed the other team qualifying berth by earning second with 25 points, the most in school history.
West Bloomfield finished third with 13 points, while Rochester Stoney Creek (11), Rochester Adams (8), Lake Orion (8), Milford (5), Waterford Mott (3), Waterford Kettering (1) and Pontiac (0) rounded out the team scores.
It marks the fourth straight season that Rochester, which is anchored by eight seniors, advanced to the state finals — the first time that the Falcons have qualified four straight times in school history.
“This group will go the state tournament all four years,” said veteran Rochester coach Jerry Murphy. “That’s quite an accomplishment. We knew Clarkston would win this, but I thought it would be us and West Bloomfield fighting for that (second) spot. The girls stepped up to the challenge and had a great day. We had finalists in seven flights.”
In the final match of the day, Rochester’s sophomore duo of Stephanie VonBehren and Stephanie Handley outlasted Clarkston’s Anne Gencay and Monique Zetner, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, in the finals at No. 4 doubles to end nearly 10 hours of play.
Most of the first three rounds were played indoors at Lifetime Fitness in Rochester Hills and Dear Lake Tennis Club in Clarkston, before three semifinal matches and all eight flight finals were played on the courts at Rochester High.
“Playing that long can take away a lot of energy,” said VonBehren. “But I knew we could do it. I’m proud of the way we played, that we came out (on top at the end).”
Clarkston won three of the four singles flights and three of the four doubles flights en route to the title.
The Wolves’ No. 1 doubles duo of Anna and Paige Olsen posted a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Rochester’s Kelli Wetherhold and Julie Markiewicz. Clarkston’s No. 2 unit of Amy Wozniak and Abbrey Hubregson teamed up for a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Rochester’s Kate Berry and Jen Chen, while the Wolves also prevailed at the No. 3 doubles with the tandem of Allie Wilson and Olivia Dunn rolling to a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Rochester’s Kirsten Byszkowski and Leah Evanson.
In the singles flights, Clarkston freshman Lexy Baylis remained unbeaten on the year at No. 2 singles, sweeping West Bloomfield’s Morgan Taylor, 6-1, 6-1 in the finals. The Wolves’ Kate Brozovich, a junior, tripped up Rochester’s Anna Parker, 6-1, 6-0, in the finals at No. 3 singles, and Clarkston senior Kristina Lucas swept Rochester’s Rachel Parker in the No. 4 singles finals, 6-1, 6-1.
“It’s really special to be part of this team,” said Lucas, who is a four-year varsity veteran for the Wolves and has signed with Grand Valley State. “The way we are progressing (each year) and how well we done is unbelievable. We’re looking forward to states to see what we can do there.”
“This year we want to win it. I really think we can do it,” added Lucas, who is one of three seniors on the Wolves’ roster. “We’ve been working really hard, so I know we can get there (and contend).”
While Clarkston and Rochester were busy celebrating their tickets to the state finals, West Bloomfield was left on the outside looking in for the first time since the mid-1990s. The Lakers, who had won five straight regional championships, have not missed the state finals since the fall 1996 season.
“It’s been a very long time. But that is part of the sport,” said veteran West Bloomfield coach Bonnie Koch.
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Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek
