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GIRLS TENNIS: Notre Dame Prep slowly making a racquet

Dan Stickradt | June 1, 2012 | Comments (1)

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

Twitter: @LocalSportsFans

PONTIAC — If there is a surprise in the tennis ranks in tradition-rich Oakland County in recent years, it does not hail from one of the power communities such as Birmingham or Bloomfield Hills. It does not hail from Rochester or Troy or Clarkston or even Farmington Hills.

But from …Pontiac.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is starting to make a racket on the tennis courts this season and has earned the label of the most improved team in a region loaded with talent and tradition.

“We like to think that we are getting better each year,” offered Pete Riley, Notre Dame Prep’s head coach of 14 seasons. “We have had a nice season and I think that we might actually be better than we were last season. We lost a handful of girls and I wasn’t sure how good we would be. But we’ve had a lot of younger girls step up and they have done a really nice job. We have been competitive all season long.”

Notre Dame Prep finished the season with a dual match record of 10-1-0. The Fighting Irish won the CHSL-AA Division title were fifth overall at the Catholic High School League Championships three weeks ago. Notre Dame Prep followed that up with a fine runner-up finish at the Almont regional on May 19.

That performance allowed the Fighting Irish to qualify for the Division 4 state finals June 1-2 in Holland — the first time the school has made the state tournament in back-to-back years in 11 years — and to serve notice that they are definitely a team on the rise.

“We were 12^th last season and that was the first time in several years that we made it to (the state finals),” noted Riley. “Our goal is to finish in the top 10 this season. That’s a realistic goal.”

Notre Dame Prep has reached as high as No. 6 in the Division 4 state rankings this season, a signal of gaining respect from coaches around the state. The Fighting Irish have seldom been even near the rankings over the years.

The tide is definitely changing course. There is a strong eighth grade class coming into the high school next season. There are also four freshmen in the current lineup, one in singles and three in doubles, and only two starters will depart by graduation.

“We hope to keep it going,” said Riley. “Right now, we are just concentrating on finishing this season strong. We have a chance to have one of our best finishes (at the state tournament) this year.

“But I do like where we are headed as a program,” continued Riley.

Notre Dame Prep was one of three schools to qualify out of the Almont regional, scoring 22 points. The Fighting Irish trailed longtime state powerhouse Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart, which is also the top-ranked school in Division 4.

Notre Dame Prep had the runner-up in six of the eight flights and had two others reach the flight semifinals at the regional.

Since changing ownership and name to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep from Pontiac Oakland Catholic in 1994, the Fighting Irish have not had sporadic success in girls tennis. In fact, in the past decade, NDP has only made the state cut three times, including this season.

Last year’s 12^th-place finish featured seven points at the state tournament. Before that, NDP last qualified for the state finals in 2004, although they finished 24^th that season and did not score a point. Further back into the archives, NDP qualified for the state finals in the fall 2000 and 2001 seasons, the last time they made back-to-back state finals trips.

“Last year we ended a long drought. It had been a long time since we were at the state finals,” said Riley. “This year we hope to continue to climb. We know that we won’t win it, but being able to finish in the top 10 shows how far we’ve come in the past few years.

“We have some players with really good records in a lot of flights,” added Riley. “I expect that we could do really well at the state finals with the right draws.”

Senior Lisa Savagian is one of two seniors and holds down the No. 1 singles position. The Irish’s only other senior is Cara Stewart at No. 2 doubles.

Sophomore Annie Boniface, a transfer from Birmingham Marian, has filled in nicely at No. 2 singles, while freshman Kayla Stencel leads a fine ninth-grade contingent at No. 3 singles and junior Lisa Moncreiff has held her own at No. 4 singles.

Sophomore Danielle Mullis and freshman Hannah Pruess has formed a fine tandem at No. 1 doubles, while Stewart has joined forces with junior Danielle Zerafa. Freshmen Sara Hanna and Savanah Litton (No. 3 doubles) and sophomore Gabby Bering and junior Maddie Riley (No 4 doubles) round out the regular lineup.

“I think what hurt us (at the state level) for many years was that we were in Division 3 and always in a real tough regional,” recalled Riley. “We were always in with schools like (Bloomfield Hills) Cranbrook and (Bloomfield Hills) Andover and some other really good schools. We didn’t make it to the state finals for several years. Now, we’re back down in Division 4 and we’re having some success again.”

HOW NOTRE DAME PREP HAS FAIRED AT STATE FINALS IN THE PAST DECADE:

2012 (D-4, to be determined)

2011 (D-4, 12^th, seven points)

2004 (D-3, 25^th, 0 points)

DIVISION 4 REGIONAL
(May 19 at Almont H.S.)

TEAM SCORES — 1. Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart, 30; 2. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 22; 3. Armada, 18; 4. Flint Powers Catholic, 16; 5. Clarkston Everest Collegiate-Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes Unified, 7; 6. Almont, 6; 7. (tie) Algonac, 4; Imlay City 4; 9. (tie) Flint Southwestern Academy, 2; Lake Fenton 2; 11. Mt. Morris, 1.

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHTS

SINGLES — 1. Jessica Davis (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Lisa Savagian (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-3, 6-3; 2. Kelsey Hildebrand (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Michaela DeGrande (Armada) 6-4, 6-1; 3. Tyler Papazian (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Kayla Stencel (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-2, 4-0 (retired, injured); 4. Madison Macksood (Flint Powers Catholic) d. Erin Moncrieff (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-4, 6-4.

DOUBLES — 1. Kelsey Nagle-Emily Nash (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Danielle Mullis-Hannah Preuss (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-0, 6-4; 2. Hannah Gerard-Elia Wilson (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Ashley Ewert-Jill Reuter (Armada) 6-2, 6-0; 3. Heidi Lemon-Sarah Spangler (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Sara Hanna-Savanah Litton (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-1, 6-3; 4. Kendall Lehmann-Teresa Walawender (Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart) d. Gabby Bering-Maddie Riley (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) 6-1, 6-3.

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Tags: girls tennis, high school girls tennis, MHSAA Division 4 Girls Tennis, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Girls Tennis, Prep Girls Tennis, tennis