All the racquet: Clarkston wins first D-1 state tennis title; Rochester’s Dieters regains No. 1 status
A DAY TO REMEMBER: Clarkston celebrated its first-ever Division 1 state championship Saturday at the Midland Community Tennis Center.
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
MIDLAND — For the first time in two seasons, Kelsey Dieters had to go three sets with back-to-back opponents on the tennis court. Unlike last season, she won them both this time around to finish as a state champion.
Dieters, a senior No. 1 singles player from Rochester, rallied for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Midland Dow’s Danielle Patton in the semifinals, then came back for a three-set, 3-6, 7-5,6-4 win over Alix Thurman of Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse in the finals to cap an unbeaten season.
“”I was so relieved. It was so hot out there,” said Dieters. “The sign said it was 96 degree out, but on the court felt even hotter (with the heat index).”
Dieters, headed for Ohio State, finishes her prep career with a 105-6 record and at least four state semifinals appearances. She was state champion as a sophomore before being upset last season. Dieters lost just one match over the course of her junior and senior seasons.
“It felt great to win it. I know last year was rough,” said Dieters who was upset in the semifinals last season. “I went three sets in both matches (on Saturday) and each match last about three hours. It did take a little out of me. It was worth it.”
Meanwhile, Clarkston grabbed the top spot in the rankings a month ago and held that ranking on the season’s final weekend. Tied with Ann Arbor Pioneer with 21 points after Friday’s competition, the Wolves surged ahead Saturday to finish with 27 points for the school’s first-ever state championship in tennis and first team state title overall since the girls cross-country team won three straight from 2003-05.
“It was a real nail biter,” said Clarkston coach Beckie Freeman. “It was nerve-wracking.”
Pioneer was second with 25 points, followed by Midland Dow (21), Grosse Pointe South (17) and Port Huron Northern (14) in the top five. Saturday’s second day of competition went down to the last few matches.
“We had seven (flights) in the semifinals and we won three state championships,” said Freeman. “The difference was doubles. We scored nine points from our doubles teams. That’s nine more points that we scored in the doubles that we didn’t score before. The doubles teams stepped up a lot more points for us. We were seventh last season.”
Rochester and Troy, two other programs from the www.northoaklandsports.comcoverage area, tied for ninth with 10 points apiece. Troy Athens finished in a four-way tie for 19th.
The day belonged to Clarkston, which has materialized as a state powerhouse in the past decade but was able to earn some championship hardware for the first time.
Clarkston had semifinalists in six of the eight flights and came home with three individual flight champions, all in the singles.
Freshman Lexi Baylis, the top seed at No. 2 singles, swept Christina Auyeung of Midland Dow, 6-2, 6-1, to cap an unbeaten season. Katie Brozovich, also a top seed, posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dow’s Kelli Close in the finals at No. 3 singles.
Finally, at No. 4 singles, Clarkston’s Kristina Lucas gave her team three champions and the OAA Red Division a clean sweep of the singles flights with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Midland Dow’s Katie close. The Grand Valley State senior entered as the No. 2 seed.
Lucas won the No. 3 flight last season before moving down to No. 4 singles, while Brozovich was state runner-up at No. 2 singles a year ago.
Clarkston, which became the first school from the NorthOaklandSports coverage area to win the D-1 crown since Troy in the fall season of 2003, had three doubles teams fall in the semifinals to go along with their three singles flights wins. Additionally, the Wolves also had Gabrielle Spindler reach the semifinals at No. 1 singles, where she was knocked out by Thurman.
Paige and Dana Olsen (No. 1), Olivia Dunn and Allie Wilson (No. 3) and Annie Gencay and Monique Zentner (No. 4) could not sneak into the finals.
“I am so proud of this team. We knew we had the talent to win,” said Freeman. “But we had to have everyone step up and score.”
Rochester’s Stephanie VonBehren and Stephanie Handler (No. 4) also reached the state semifinals.
BACK ON TOP: Rochester's Kelsey Dieters (right) celebrates with her father and Rochester assistant coach, Bob Dieters, following her second Division 1 No. 1 singles state championship in four years. Courtesy Photos.
Troy rode to its ninth-place finish based on the strength of three doubles teams making the quarterfinals — Kara Collins and Hope Keating at No. 1, Tonya Malyarenko and Kalie Collins at No. 2 and Anna Chung and Katie Iorche at No. 4.
MHSAA DIVISON 1 STATE FINALS
(June 3-4 at Midland Community Tennis Center)
TEAM SCORES — 1. Clarkston, 27; 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 25; 3. Midland Dow, 21; 4. Grosse Pointe South, 17; 5. Port Huron Northern, 14; 6. (tie) Hudsonville, 13; Northville, 13; Saline, 13; 9. (tie) Rochester, 10; Troy, 10; 11. Novi, 9; 12. (tie) Ann Arbor Huron, 7; Holland West Ottawa, 7; 14. Utica Eisenhower, 5; 15. (tie) Grand Blanc, 4; Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse, 4; 17. (tie) Grand Ledge, 2; Livonia Franklin, 2; 19. (tie) Dearborn, 0; Livonia Churchill, 0; Southgate Anderson, 0; Troy Athens, 0.
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHTS
SINGLES — 1. Kelsey Dieters (Rochester) d. Alix Thurman (Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4; 2. Lexi Baylis (Clarkston) d. Christina Auyeung (Midland Dow) 6-2, 6-1; 3. Katie Brozovich (Clarkston) d. Kelli Close (Midland Dow) 6-2, 6-3; 4. Kristina Lucas (Clarkston) d. Katie Close (Midland Dow) 6-4, 6-4.
DOUBLES — 1. Meghan Woody-Allie Vickery (Midland Dow) d. Julie Wittwer-Emme Hyde (Grosse Pointe South) 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2); 2. Carrie Lynch-Clare Brennan (Grosse Pointe South) d. Lindsay Harmsen-Taylor Shamery (Hudsonville) 6-1, 7-5; 3. Alana Dickson-Amelia Boccaccio (Grosse Pointe South) d. Maya Fields-Jacobs-Azba Gurm (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; 4. Shreya Bahl-Anna Borowicz (Ann Arbor Pioneer) d. Meng Meng Jie-Amy Zhou (Novi) 6-2, 6-3.
Category: Clarkston, High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Troy, Troy Athens
