D1 Powers Share Title, Frosh Phenom Rises
June 3, 2017
By Perry A. Farrell
Special for Second Half
MIDLAND – Ann Arbor Pioneer coach Tom Pullen has watched his participation numbers decline for girls tennis, but he knew he had a great player coming this year in freshman Kari Miller.
The 15-year-old comes from great bloodlines, and as the top seed proved she was up to the challenge by capturing the Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 1 singles title at the Midland Tennis Center with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over sophomore Tia Mukherjee of Bloomfield Hills on Saturday.
Her aunt, Annie Miller, played on the pro circuit and at one point reached the top 40. She gave 14-year-old Serena Williams one of her first losses as a professional. Annie Miller’s picture is displayed at the Midland Tennis Center, where she spent years honing her game.
Father David Miller starred at Midland Dow, and they still talk about his loss to a Pioneer player back in 1991 tournament.
“He said that was a crazy match,’’ said Kari.
Now his daughter is the star at Pioneer.
“The expectation was to win, and I thought I could win,’’ said Miller. “I played Tia before in USTA, and that helped. I felt good for the most part. There were a few games where my backhand wasn’t its best, but I was able to fix it. I felt good the whole match.’’
Miller broke Mukherjee in the fourth game to go up 3-1 and cruised to the victory.
“She has it all,’’ said Pullen of Miller. “She has the heart and the brains. She has all four things you need; she has the length, the strokes, the brains and the heart. I just put her out there and say go get ‘em.’’
Miller breezed through the season and with reigning No. 1 singles champion Anika Yarlagadda of West Bloomfield deciding not to play high school tennis, the battle for the top spot came down to Miller, Maja Pietrowicz of Sterling Heights Stevenson, Mukherjee and Ava Thielman of Utica Eisenhower. Thielman lost to Mukherjee in the semifinal.
“I really like my team; it’s really fun,’’ said Miller. “It’s a team, and I like it because kids from my school start to know that I’m good at it and I like that.’’
Her teammates started laughing behind her.
“Playing (USTA) tournaments is not like being in school, so only my closet friends know about what I do.’’
Miller rose as high as sixth in the nation at 14-and-under on the United States Tennis Association tour and now plays 16- and 18-under.
She wasn’t the only freshman to win a singles title. Northville freshman Tori Mady beat Alayna Bowman of Rockford, 6-0, 2-6, 6-1, at No. 4.
And that ended up a significant win for an additional reason. The battle for the team title came down to 2016 runner-up Northville and reigning champion Midland Dow. Both finished with 30 points to share the championship.
“The key is no cell phones at practice and no sweets during the season,’’ said Northville Coach Linda Jones. “We were playing in a quad and a mother brought chocolate chip cookies. I said, ‘Are those sugar free?’ And she said no and walked away.’’
Renee Torres clinched the tie with Northville, rebounding from a 1-6 loss in the first set to win the last two 6-1, 6-3 over Dow’s Hadley Camp at No. 3 singles.
“I knew she had played three sets in the semifinal, and I could sense she was getting tired,’’ said Torres. “I felt the match changed in the second set.
“Getting a tie for the team title is great. We’ll take it.’’
Dow’s Sarah Ismail, the reigning No. 3 singles champ, won the title at No. 2 singles over top-seed Laurel Sullivan of Grosse Pointe South, 6-2, 6-4.
“I played her earlier this season, and I actually lost,’’ said Ismail. “It’s good to come back. I was just more confident. I was making more shots and following through more. This year I had a lot more competition at states. Last year I only had the final, really. I lost to Northville twice this year, so it was really good to come back and beat them when it mattered.’’
Trying to repeat, Ismail said they felt the heat.
“It’s a lot of pressure when you’ve already won,’’ she said. “People are gunning for you the whole season. We just have a really big rivalry with Northville. We’re head-to-head all the time. I think the momentum from Friday carried over. Everyone was just confident in themselves. We all have nerves, but we all came in and we were playing really well.”
Part of Dow’s incredible story was senior Caroline Szabo.
She won No. 2 singles a year ago, but suffered a right shoulder injury and had to have surgery, which threatened to end her season before she started.
“I started practicing here (left-handed) with the little kids,’’ said Szabo. “The joint was too loose and they had to surgically tighten it. As the season went on I could hit it pretty well, but I wasn’t in the lineup. When I was cleared by my doctor I asked Mr. (Garrett) Turner, ‘Do you think this is an option?’’’
The coach said OK, and she played her first match in March, left-handed, against rival Midland at No. 3 doubles with partner Christina Vanerkelen.
“I was terrified,’’ Szabo said. “I went to serve and said this is really happening. Christina played great all year, and she really carried me.’’
Szabo will go back to playing right-handed at Michigan State.
The duo beat Connie Gao and Andrea Nam of Northville 6-3, 3-3 when Northville had to retire, ironically, because of a shoulder injury.
Although they didn’t play together much of the year, Dow’s No. 4 doubles team of Maggie Schaller and Reema Patel defeated top-seed Lauren Ruby and Kaela Bernard of Bloomfield Hills, 6-4, 7-6.
“We interchange the lineup to see who plays the best together,’’ said Patel. “We played Bloomfield Hills before and lost to them in a tie-break. We knew how to prepare for the match. We know every point is important if we want to win the state championship.’’
PHOTOS: (Top) A doubles pair celebrates during the LP Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Ann Arbor Pioneer freshman Kari Miller returns a shot on the way to winning No. 1 singles. (Below) Midland Dow, top, and Northville shared the team title. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Morgan Caps Championship-Filled Career as Greenhills Adds to Title Streak
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2025
MIDLAND – Maddie Morgan added the final triumphs to a nearly unmatched high school tennis career Saturday at Midland Tennis Center.
The Ann Arbor Greenhills senior had helped the Gryphons to three straight Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals team titles entering this weekend. Along the way, she had won two No. 1 singles titles after reaching only the semifinals as a freshman.
Top-ranked Greenhills entered the second day of play one point ahead of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, the No. 2-ranked team in the state. And the Gryphons proceeded to finish the four-peat in resounding fashion, securing the title even before Morgan played for the singles championship against Notre Dame Prep freshman Marissa Bitoni.
Morgan then pulled out a 6-1, 6-4 victory for her third championship at the top flight.
“It was nice knowing we had won even before I started playing,’’ said Morgan. “It was just so much fun playing that last match. Knowing it was my last high school match, that propelled me through it even though we had already won. It helped me. The freshmen and sophomores came through.’’
Greenhills finished with 38 points to 28 for the Fighting Irish. Traverse City St. Francis was third with 20.
Being everyone’s target didn’t faze Morgan.
“I try not to think about it like that,’’ she said. “I approach each match the same way. Do my routine. I just think about the tennis, and I think that’s the key.
“I really enjoy cheering and just being with this team. Individual state champions – they mean a lot, but the team state championships are what really matters to me. … I’m so grateful to be a part of this team environment we have in high school tennis. We had 11 of the 12 back from last year and we lost one senior the year before, so it has been the same group.’’
Greenhills won all but two flights, instead finishing runners-up at Nos. 2 and 4 doubles.
“Our motto is ‘all joy, no fear, can’t lose,’” said Greenhills coach Mark Randolph, who concluded his 31st year as a head coach and 52nd overall. “We knew we’d be competing with Notre Dame, but they aren’t our enemies. This is about relationships.
“One of our great stories is Jessica Shi at No. 2 doubles. She has been around the program for four years but didn’t expect to be here other than to cheer us on. We suffered an injury and we put her in the lineup, now she’s competing in the Finals. That’s a great story.’’
Greenhills’ first champion came at No. 1 doubles as Danica Rakic-Dennis and Shangyang Xia defeated Wixom St. Catherine’s top-seeded Julia Ivezaj and Stephanie Lisch, 6-0, 6-2. The Gryphons pair dropped only six games over four matches on the weekend.
“This was our first year playing together,’’ said Rakic-Dennis. “It was one of our best matches. It was a challenge to work on our chemistry during the season, but we pulled through. I’m really proud of us.’’
Said Xia: “It was one of our best matches. Notre Dame Prep has always been a big rival. We knew that coming to states. I have a lot of faith in our team.’’
Notre Dame’s flight title came at No. 4 doubles as Vanessa Artinian and Elana Vandieren, both freshmen, defeated Greenhills’ top-seeded Meera Pandey and Meera Tewari, 6-3, 6-0.
Maddie Morgan’s freshman sister Hazel captured her first Finals title, at No. 3 singles, as she downed Notre Dame’s Ava Jarvis, 6-2, 6-0.
“I think I played her during the regular season,’’ said Hazel. “It was a good match. I’m proud of our team. We’re doing so well. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this season. (Jarvis) is a great person, and she should be proud.’’
Greenhills sophomore Ellie Kim won her second-straight title with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over St. Francis’ Elliana McClellan at No. 2 singles.
“It feels great to get the second one,’’ said Kim. “She’s a really good player. Her forehand is really strong. I think in the second set I got a little tight. I was hitting more balls short to her forehand. I honestly don’t think I was playing bad. It was a good, fun match.’’
Greenhills sophomore Nina Malani secured the No. 4 singles title with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over St. Francis’ Anna Cate Maday. Wixom St. Catherine’s No. 2 doubles team of Lily Wolocko and Loren Nafso defeated Greenhills’ Shi and Sophia Kleer, 6-3, 6-3 to claim that flight, but Greenhills also pulled out No. 3 doubles as Lauren Ye and Alyssa Hong knocked off Nore Dame Prep’s Erin Delaney and Adriana Johnson 6-3, 6-1 in the clincher.
PHOTOS (Top) Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Maddie Morgan follows through on a backhand during a Friday match at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) Players meet at the net at the conclusion of another early-round match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)