Every Class Contributes in Cranbrook Kingswood's Latest Title Triumph
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 4, 2022
MIDLAND – Runner-up to Detroit Country Day in 2021, 2019 and 2018, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood finally broke through with a cast of veterans and youngsters Saturday to capture the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls tennis championship at the Midland Tennis Center.
Cranbrook swept singles and scored 37 points, while Chelsea held off East Grand Rapids by one point, 21-20, to finish second.
Cranbrook previously had captured the team title from 2011 to 2015 before Country Day took over and won the following five championships in LPD3.
The Cranes' lineup featured one senior, two juniors, and nine freshmen and sophomores. Freshman sensation Yenna Park, the top seed at No. 1 singles, didn’t disappoint as she defeated Otsego sophomore Aly Aldrich, 6-0, 6-2, in that flight’s championship match.
“This was very exciting,’’ Park said. “I knew a lot of people expected me to win and there’s some pressure with that, but I just wanted to go out and play my game. When warming up, I try to look at my opponent and see what their weak areas are. If it’s the back-hand, I’ll hit to the back hand. I was comfortable.
“When I play USTA I play to get better. Here it’s about winning the championship. We lost by one point to Country Day last year, so it was good to finally break through.’’
Aldrich entered the championship match coming off a semifinal with Bloomfield Hills Marian’s second-seeded Gaby Gryzenia that lasted nearly three hours. Aldrich previously had reached the No. 1 semifinals as a freshman and entered this weekend as the sixth seed.
Cranbrook senior Charlotte Brown, last season’s No. 2 singles champion, retained her crown and was the tournament’s first champ of the day with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Chelsea sophomore Anne-Marie Begola. Brown was the top seed in the bracket, while Begola was unseeded but defeated the third, sixth and second-seeded players to reach the finale.
“I just decided to keep my head in the game and disregard anything about the lineup,’’ said Brown. “I just play my game. We’ve seen so much success this season. We had a lot of freshmen that came in this year and helped our team. Our No. 1 singles (Park) is a freshman, and she just beat everybody.
“I’m thankful for the way we played. Going back-to-back (at No. 2) is definitely a great feeling, but I’m more excited about the fact we were able to win the team title.’’
Top-seeded sophomore Sienna Ilitch gave Cranbrook another flight championship at No. 3 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win over freshman Josie Arbanas of Stevensville Lakeshore, who also entered the tournament unseeded but defeated the second and third seeds to advance.
“I had a three-set match in the semis, which I did last year,’’ said Ilitch. “I got to the finals and said this is my second chance where I can get redemption. I locked in. I hit my targets. I played confident. I played wanting to win, knowing my team was relying on me. Even though our team was doing well overall, for me personally I wanted to be a state champion in my flight. Last year I lost in the final. Even though we were up, it mattered to me.’’
Top-seeded sophomore Olivia Zhang made sure Cranbrook swept singles, defeating Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s third-seeded Addison Bellows 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.
“I got off to a slow start,’’ said Zhang. “I was afraid to play her.’’
Top-seeded freshman Ava Clogg and sophomore Grace Zhang claimed No. 3 doubles for Cranbrook with a 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 win over Chelsea senior Kendall Spink and junior Izzy Barkey, who entered as the sixth seeds. At No. 4 doubles, Cranbrook’s top-seeded Daryn Krause and Kayli Lala defeated East Grand Rapids’ second-seeded Kelly Couvrier and Kate Simon 6-1, 6-2 for the flight championship.
Upstart Chelsea’s runner-up team finish was its highest at a Girls Tennis Finals.
“One of the advantages we have is we have a middle school program, and we have a little kids’ program,’’ Chelsea coach Rahn Rosentreter said. “We really don’t have a lot of clubs. Most of our work is done during the summer. We’ve been lucky. We have a lot of parental support, and the school supports us. We have a community that puts a lot behind their boys and girls tennis.’’
After EGR, Bloomfield Hills Marian was fourth and Country Day fifth in the team standings.
Country Day’s second-seeded Peja Liles and Lana Haddad claimed No. 1 doubles with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over top seed Chloe Qin and Gaby Levine of Cranbrook.
At No. 2 doubles East Grand Rapids’ top-seeded Meg Simon and Ella Webb held off Country Day’s third-seeded Aryasai Radhakrishnan and Marin Norlander 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) in the final.
PHOTOS (Top) Cranbrook Kingswood's Yenna Park prepares to return a volley during her No. 1 singles championship match Saturday. (Middle) Otsego's Aly Aldrich sends a shot back to Park during that title decider. (Below) Chelsea's Kendall Spink and Izzy Barkey and Cranbrook's Ava Clogg and Grace Zhang greet each other at the net during their No. 3 doubles match at Midland Tennis Center. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Seaholm Builds on 2024 Runner-up Finish to Become 2025 Finals Champion
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2025
KALAMAZOO – Birmingham Seaholm was determined to hoist the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Girls Tennis Finals championship trophy this weekend following its runner-up finish one year ago.
By winning four of the eight flights, the Maples earned that opportunity. They totaled 32 points to cap the two-day tournament in first place Saturday at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium. The title was Seaholm’s second in three seasons.
Farmington Hills Mercy, which entered the weekend ranked No. 1, finished in second place with 25 points. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (23) placed third, followed by Midland Dow (18) and Grosse Point South (16) to round out the top five.
Seaholm came into Finals weekend with extra motivation after losing a 5-3 dual match to Mercy earlier this season. But the Maples claimed titles at No. 2 singles and Nos. 2, 3 and 4 doubles as seven Seaholm flights advanced at least to the semifinal round.
"Last season's second-place finish left us with a bad taste in our mouth. Our team is young, but we are probably the hardest-working team in this state,” Seaholm coach Casey Cullen said. “We practiced on Mother's Day, Memorial Day weekend and a lot of Sundays this season. This group put in the effort because they wanted to be better.
“We started the year ranked No. 4 and began the season losing 7-1 to Cranbrook Kingswood. Ever since that day, these girls have worked their tails off to improve. This championship is really special and a testament to their work ethic, buying into the program and the result of the time and energy they have put into everything."
Fifth-seeded Seaholm junior Jada Josifovski defeated No. 2-seeded Keira Kirkland from Mercy 6-1, 7-5 in the final at No. 2 singles.
"Jada came in seeded fifth and ended the weekend as a state champion. For her to beat the same girl today that she lost to in last year's Finals really says something about how hard she has worked, as well as her teammates," Cullen added.
Seaholm's No. 2 doubles tandem of Anna Olekszyk and Sophia Arndt was victorious 6-1, 6-1, in their final over Mattawan's duo of Valeria Vega and Addy Copeland.
“Our energy and staying aggressive were the biggest keys in our Finals match. We feed off one another's energy very well," Olekszyk said.
Seaholm needed to win just one flight entering the championship round to clinch the team title. Olekszyk and Arndt provided that win. "Winning state as a team is kind've overwhelming, but I am so happy for everyone,” Arndt said. “We've worked extra hard for it.”
At No. 3 doubles, Seaholm's top-seeded duo of Kate Crowley and Cate French defeated Mercy's No. 2-seeded Penelope Livermore and Reese Sinawi 6-3, 6-4. Crowley and French finished the season 30-0.
Seaholm's No. 2-seeded Katie Joyce and Alina Villaire pulled out a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sadie Wolfe and Ava Targosz in the championship tilt at No. 4 doubles.
"We put a great deal of time in working on volleys, especially with our doubles teams. The goal is to make certain they are staying aggressive and assertive,” Cullen said. “One of my favorite things as coach of this program is seeing how well these girls buy into team camaraderie, the little discussions between points and the hi-fives.
"You can easily say our doubles teams are a big strength for us, but you have to really credit our singles flights. We don't have any seniors at those spots. I have a freshman leading the way there at our No. 1 spot with two sophomores and one junior in those singles flights as well. Getting three of those four into the semifinals was big for us. They gave us that extra uplift we needed.
“Every state title is special. I went to Seaholm and to Western Michigan University, so to win this in Kalamazoo is nice as well."
Mercy came into the weekend hoping to secure its first Finals championship, but fell just a bit short.
"You could say us and Seaholm came in as co-favorites. They are stronger at doubles, and I think our singles flights are stronger,” Mercy coach Daniel Murphy said. “We had a couple slip-ups, and Seaholm took advantage of that and was the better team this weekend."
Top-seeded Lauren Jaklitsch and Morgan McKenzie from Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern claimed the No. 1 doubles crown with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Seaholm's No. 2-seeded Jordyn Lusky and Lucy Jen. Lusky was the Maples’ lone senior.
Grosse Pointe South's freshman phenom and top-seeded Dalina Kokoshi captured the No. 1 singles crown by defeating Mercy's Megan Sullivan, the second seed, 6-2, 6-2, in the final. Kokoshi also defeated Battle Creek Lakeview's Maddy Simonds 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinal round.
"Winning state feels amazing. I'm glad to have such a great team. I suffered a leg injury in the offseason, so I had to put in extra training and my consistency on the court has played a big factor this year too," said Kokoshi, who ended her season with record of 28-1.
North Farmington junior and top-seeded Samantha Karoub won the No. 3 singles crown with a 6-2, 6-0, triumph over Katelyn Strong of Grosse Pointe South.
"(Strong) is such a strong player, so I had to remain mentally tough and stay consistent with my shots. I knew I had to win the long rallies because she can get a big boost in confidence whenever she wins those kind of points," Karoub said.
Mercy's top-seeded No. 4 singles junior Gabby Owens repeated as champion of that flight posting a 6-0, 7-5, win over Seaholm sophomore Izzy Bloom.
"My ability to run down every ball and never give up on any point were key today," Owens said. "We had a great season and became closer as a team and were more energetic and vocal this year."
PHOTOS (Top) Birmingham Seaholm’s Lucy Jen returns a shot during a No. 1 doubles match Saturday. (Middle) Grosse Pointe South’s Dalina Kokoshi connects on a forehand at No. 1 singles. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)