Cranbrook Enjoys Slight Edge This Time in Rematch of Frequent Contenders
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2023
ANN ARBOR — There’s not a lot of difference between the tennis teams from Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Detroit Country Day.
Certainly not on the scoreboard; the teams tied for the Regional title last month, and Cranbrook edged Country Day 33-31 on Saturday to repeat as Lower Peninsula Division 3 champion at the University of Michigan.
And there’s also little difference in the minds of Cranbrook coach Grant Asher and Country Day mentor Jessica Stencel.
“We deserved second today," Stencel said. “They were definitely the mentally-tougher team. And maybe if the tournament was held tomorrow, it might have been different. But it really came down to if we would have taken one different flight, then it would have been a tie. We just had too many loose spots we couldn’t figure out.”
And the Cranes made the most of those opportunities.
“We knew it was going to be really tough,” Asher said. “We were evenly matched, but the girls played the big points really well and handled the pressure of the state championship really well.”
Among the flight winners for Cranbrook were Sienna Ilitch and Olivia Zhang, who repeated as champions at Nos. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively.
“I think it had to be a little harder (to repeat),” said Ilitch, who was the top seed going into the tournament. “I had a tough match in the semifinals, and I had another tough match in the finals against (Melanie Bandara of) Country Day. She really stepped up and played hard. It was a good, competitive match.”
Ilitch and Zhang, both juniors, were in finals for the third consecutive year. For Ilitch, her victory Saturday helped ease the pain of her loss at the 2021 tournament.
“It might have been more exciting because my freshman year I lost in the final match of the day and we finished second,” she said. “This year, I ended up (clinching) the title for us.”
For one of Cranbrook’s seniors, Saturday’s final was all about nerves and keeping her teammates focused.
Inijie Gazayerli, one of Cranbrook’s co-captains, cheered on her team despite being sidelined by a recent case of mononucleosis.
“It’s surreal,” she said. “I mean, last season seems like yesterday, and I’m so proud of this team and what we've been able to accomplish.”
Grand Rapids Christian finished third with 23 points, led by Brynn Uchmann, who defeated Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Julia Gurne 6-1, 6-1 to take the No. 1 singles title.
Saturday’s Final marked the 12th year in a row either Cranbrook or Country Day hoisted the championship trophy.
In the end, it came down to the mental aspect.
“I’m usually able to keep calm, and I think that really helps me through really tough matches,” Zhang said.
PHOTOS by High School Sports Scene.
Performance of the Week: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood's Chloe Qin
May 30, 2025
Chloe Qin ♦ Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Senior ♦ Tennis
The Cranes No. 1 singles player received the top seed in her flight for this weekend's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals, coming off a Regional championship she clinched by defeating last season's Division 3 No. 1 singles champion Sophia Grzesiak of Detroit Country Day 6-3, 6-2. Qin entered Friday's first round with an 18-1 record this season.
Qin returned to high school tennis this spring after previously playing as a freshman, when she teamed up with then-senior Gaby Levine to finish Division 3 Finals runner-up at No. 1 doubles. Cranbrook entered this weekend ranked No. 1 in Division 3 as a team and seeking its third Finals championship over the last four seasons after finishing runner-up to Country Day last year. Qin will continue her academic and tennis careers at Brown University in Rhode Island and is interested in studying cognitive neuroscience on a pre-medical track.
@mhsaasports 🎾POW: Chloe Qin #tennis #regionalchamp #cranbrookkingswood #1seed #finals #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA @chloe_qin1 ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
May 23: Drew Goik, Bay City Western golf - Report
May 15: Sydney Kuhn, Saginaw Swan Valley track & field - Report
May 8: Ryan Bosch, Fruitport baseball - Report
May 1: Jackson Lam, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix track & field - Report
April 25: Isabelle Horvath, Bangor softball - Report
April 18: Presley Jones, Sterling Heights Stevenson soccer - Report
April 11: Olivia Jasniewicz, Troy soccer - Report
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March 13: Keyshawn Summerville, Lansing Sexton basketball - Report
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Feb. 28: Maren Studt, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep skiing - Report
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(Photos courtesy of the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood athletic department.)