All ‘net’ matters: Troy wins first tennis regional since 2003, Athens also makes cut
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Although Troy is a perennial state qualifier in girls tennis, it has been years since the Colts won a regional championship.
That drought came to an end Thursday afternoon at Grosse Pointe South.
The Colts, who recently broke into the Division 1 coaches poll to share the No. 9 spot with two other schools, racked up 26 points to tie host Grosse Pointe South for the team title and their first regional championship since the fall 2003 season. Troy Athens collected 19 points to also advance to the state finals.
The top two teams, additional teams collecting 18 or more points and the finalists at No. 1 singles all advance to the Lower Peninsula Division 1 state finals June 3-4 at Midland Community Tennis Center.
Utica Ford and Warren Cousino were a distant fourth in the 10-school standings, tying with eight points each. Fraser finished sixth (5), followed by Royal Oak (4), Sterling Heights Stevenson (4), Warren Mott (3) and Southfield Lathrup (1) in the final standings.
“At the beginning of the year our goal was to make it to (the state finals). We lost eight girls to graduation and then we lost a ninth, our No.2 singles player, to a wrist injury two weeks into the season,” said Troy coach Eric Sturgis. “We also lost to (Grosse Pointe) South 7-1 in a dual early in the season. To come in here knowing we lost nine girls and we lost to South that bad earlier in the season to tying them for a regional championship is incredible. It shows how hard these girls have worked this season.”
In the singles championships, Troy won two crowns while South and Athens each captured one title each.
South’s Brooke Willard took the No. 1 singles crown with a 6-4, 6-0 sweep of Troy’s Kelly Forman. Troy won the middle two flights, with Amanda Guo sweeping South’s Sydney Keller 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 and Allison Li downing Athens’ Iris Su 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3. Jaclyn Zaleski of Athens rallied for a three-set, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles over Troy’s Lillian Liang.
South’s No. 1 doubles duo of Julie Wittwer and Emma Hyde downed Troy’s Kara Collins and Hope Keating, 7-5, 6-0, one of three doubles wins for the host Blue Devils.
Troy’s No. 2 doubles unit of Kalie Collins and Tonya Malyarenko ventured into three-set territory to defeat South’s Carrie Lynch and Clare Brennan, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, which entered the match unbeaten on the season.
“That was huge,” admitted Sturgis, who counts four freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors and just two seniors on his regional team. “I thought if the seeds played out, than we would have something like 22 or 23 points. I felt confident that we would make it. But to tie South and share the regional championship with such a young team is an (awesome) accomplishment.”
Athens was trying to make the state finals for the fourth straight season. The unranked Red Hawks, which ended a 21-year drought in 2008, squeezed in as an additional qualifier.
“It was just like last season. I thought we would be close, so we had to pick up a couple of extra points along the way,” said Athens coach Andrew Shipp.
South’s Alana Dickson and Emmy Boccaccio teamed up at No. 3 doubles to thwart Troy’s Sruthi Chandra and Morgan Zander in another three-set thriller, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, while the Blue Devils’ No. 4 tandem of Samantha Perry and Kate Krueger defeated Manasa Gummalla and Pooja Chaku of Athens, 7-6, 6-0.
The aforementioned Athens duo of Gummalla and Chaku pulled off an upset in the semifinals to reach the finals, one of the swing points for the Red Hawks. Zaleski’s regional win at No.4 singles was also crucial to Athens making the state cut.
“We needed for someone to step up and they did that,” said Shipp. “They beat Troy in the semis and that helped make a difference. Jaclyn Zaleski’s win at No. 4 singles was also a big part of this.
“I’m proud of this whole team,” continued Shipp, who had four seniors on his roster. “To qualify out of this region where you have two very good teams in Grosse Pointe South and Troy, which played very well, means a lot to the girls. One of their goals this season was to not only make it back to (the state finals), but to finish in the top-20 or maybe even top-15. They know have a chance to do that.”
Troy Athens' Nina Lu reached the semifinals at No. 2 singles during Thursday's Division 1 regional at Grosse Pointe South, helping the Red Hawks qualify for the state finals. Courtesy Photo.
To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. To advertise, e-mail advertising@northoaklandsports.com
Category: High School, Prep Wraps, Troy, Troy Athens
