Hello West Ottawa Tennis Family, This weekend our girls capped off another amazing season. Really soon we will get into the details of our 9th place finish at the State Championships, but first, let's quickly recap some of the awesomeness of what this team has been up to: In the OK-Red Conference, West Ottawa has now won 8 straight Conference Titles. But the dominance goes further than that. Their last head-to-head loss came on May 8, 2017, where they dropped to Rockford 6-2. Since then, they have won 47 straight duel matches in conference! In the Region, we have now won the past 7 straight Regional Championships. This year, every flight on the team advanced to the championship match, with over half claiming Regional Titles. Over this time period, the girls have a completely revamped schedule. When not playing conference opponents, the girls use their remaining contests to take on the area's top schools...Forest Hills Northern/Central/Eastern, Grand Rapids Christian, Holland Christian, and East Grand Rapids. Twice a year we now travel the state on overnight trips to play the top 10 teams in Division 1, who are mostly in the suburbs surrounding Detroit. No one on this half of the state plays a harder schedule than West Ottawa Tennis. Taking on the best of the best year after year has put the girls in a position where we can show up at a State Finals with the confidence that we can take on anyone, and that's exactly what happened this weekend. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but we are always ready to compete. Here's a rundown of this year's tournament, followed by the final standings: 1st Round - Three flights competed in the round of 32 Evie Price (1s) - In her first match, she took on West Bloomfield. Her opponent was talented, and could hit just as hard as Evie. However, Evie's ability to shape the ball and play from the front and backcourt gave her the edge she needed to win 6-2, 6-2. Eden Hamilton and Maggie Rothstein (1d) - Their first match was Ann Arbor Huron, a program on the rise with a new and talented head coach in her 2nd year. Both teams were steady and able to maintain long points, not much separated the two teams. We won the first set, with Huron claiming the second. It came down to an exciting match tiebreaker, which our girls won 13-11. Honestly, it was probably our experience that put us over the top, with Eden and Maggie showing great calm under pressure at the end. Audrey Anderson and Mallory Paff (4d) - These two freshman started off their state finals against Troy Athens. We were the favorite on this one, a testament to the girl's hard work to become so good at such a young age. They won fairly quickly 6-1, 6-1. West Ottawa Point Total going into the Round of 16: 3 Round of 16 - All 8 flights are still remaining. Evie Price (1s) - After taking on West Bloomfield, Evie's next task was state tennis powerhouse Ann Arbor Pioneer. In this match, the dynamics were a bit different. Both players were equally consistent, fast, and played intelligent tennis. However, the Pioneer player's level of power allowed her to shorten points in ways that were difficult to deal with. Evie played very well, but in this match Pioneer earned the win. Danielle Lebster (2s) - Drawing a first round bye, Danielle's first match would be worth 2 points. The challenge was daunting though, as Danielle would also have to take on Ann Arbor Pioneer. Her opponent was as good as advertised and hit with incredible power. To beat her required two things; incredible foot speed and the ability to maintain long rallies at high pace. Unfortunately for Pioneer, this is Danielle's specialty. She played what I believe is the best match of her tennis career, and did it at the perfect time, defeating Pioneer 7-5, 6-3. Jessica Zhang - Also drawing a first round bye, Jessica drew Ann Arbor Huron. This was a battle, with both players showing great speed and the ability to maintain long rallies. The first set went to Huron, and the second set went to Jessica. Although Jessica truly had started to figure out how this match needed to be won in the second set that she won 6-0, tiebreakers can often be a fickle thing. After a slow start to the breaker, Jessica began to fight back, showing a lot of resilience. However, her opponent got to 10 before she could complete the comeback, capping off a highly successful season and tennis career for Jessica. Kayla Jones (4s) - There are 6 teams seeded at each flight. Invariably, there are always a couple teams that are essentially just as good as the lowest seeds, but they don't get seeded. Kayla was seeded 4th, but as luck would have it, her first opponent was a team that probably would have earned a seed if 7 were awarded. Romeo is tough, and this would be a challenge. On paper, this one played out like Jessica's. Kayla dropped a close 1st, followed by a win in the second set. The third set breaker went Romeo's way, giving us a 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 defeat to a deserving opponent. This match was played at a VERY high level, and Kayla had so much to be proud of in the effort. Eden Hamilton and Maggie Rothstein (1d) - Their second match of the day was against the top seed in the state, Novi. The level of play was high on both sides of the court, with Novi prevailing in straights. A strong end to a strong season. Kallyn Gaul and Lovelle Kim (2d) - With their incredible season, Kallyn and Lovelle earned the 4 seed at the event. Their first match came against Stoney Creek, a very strong program in their own right. Our opponents were talented, but Kallyn and Lovelle were too steady, claiming their first win of the day 6-2, 6-0 and earning 2 points for the team. Aleah Feliu and Olivia Smith (3d) - Also a 2 point match, Aleah and Liv drew West Bloomfield. This was one of their best matches of year year, and they quickly earned a 6-0, 6-3 win, scoring 2 points for our team. Their energy and speed were terrific, and the shots they produced reflected that. This is a team that's been improving steadily all year long. Audrey Anderson and Mallory Paff (4d) - After winning their first match, Audrey and Mallory's next test was the state's top seed, Rochester Adams. The first set was an adjustment period for our freshman. We dropped it 6-1, but the girls proved that they learned a lot. In the second set, we had a fair fight. Both teams were producing incredible tennis, it really was anyone's match at this point. While Adams took the second set 7-5, Audrey and Mallory absolutely showed what a force they are going to be in their next three years. West Ottawa Point Total going into the Quarterfinals: 9 Quarterfinals - 3 flights now remain. Danielle Lebster (2s) - Rochester Hills Stoney Creek's Allison Doka was our test for the quarters. Seeded second, Allison is tall, strong, fast, and powerful. In fact, Doka may be the first person Danielle has played this year that can match her speed. Watching play was like watching a YouTube video on 2x speed, with both girls flying around the court. However, to get a 2 seed at the 2 singles spot, you are definitely going to have some other superpowers up your sleeve. In Doka's case, it was raw power. The points were incredible and play was exciting, but Doka's power won the day, and took her all the way to the championship match where she came 2 games from taking the state title. For Danielle, it was an amazing finish to an incredible season. Aleah Feliu and Olivia Smith (3d) - After dispatching of West Bloomfield, Aleah and Liv secured a date with the state's #1 ranked team at 3 doubles, Troy. On paper, we should lose this match badly, having lost to Troy 6-0, 6-1 earlier in the season. But matches aren't played on paper, and Aleah and Liv have been improving as fast as any flight on our team this year. This time the points were long and competitive, and energy and belief was high on both sides. After much terrific play, Troy prevailed, but with a far more competitive score, this time 7-5, 6-2. Kallyn Gaul and Lovelle Kim (2d) - After beating Stoney Creek, Kallyn and Lovelle would face a tougher test in the quarters. To advance to day 2, they would have to beat the #5 seed Clarkson. This was a rematch from earlier in the season. In the first matchup, both teams split sets, before Kallyn and Lovelle ultimately prevailed in 3. This earlier match was the reason in fact that we were seeded 4 and Clarkston was the 5. Clarkston came out hot pushed us hard early on, taking the first set 6-4. However, Kallyn and Lovelle stayed confident in the knowledge that they've come back against this team once before. With the stakes high and the pressure on, Kallyn and Lovelle never flinched. They maintained their high level and won the following two sets 6-2, 6-1, earning them a spot in the State-Semifinals! West Ottawa Point Total going into Day 2: 10 Semifinals - One Flight Remaining On Saturday, the team returned to cheer on Kallyn and Lovelle as they would attempt to win a State Title at 2 doubles. This time, their test was the state's top seed, Utica Eisenhower, who were 37-0 going into the match. In fact, Eisenhower had only lost two total sets in the entirety of the season. But here's the catch...Kallyn and Lovelle were one of the only two teams all year who did take a set off them, having pushed them to the brink earlier in the season. This was the biggest match of Kallyn and Lovelle's life, but fortunately, they were ready. We quickly made it known that the first meeting was no fluke, and once again took the first set 7-5. While Eisenhower would go on to win the following two, it was a brillient display of tennis from two girls who are returning to our roster next spring, something you better believe I'm excited about! On the year, Eisenhower ended up going 39-0. They won a total of 78 sets, dropping only 3 sets. Of those three sets lost all year, 2 of them came at the hands of Kallyn and Lovelle. Wow! Final Standings: 1. Northille 24 2. Eisenhower 23 3. Novi 19 4. Rochester Adams 18 5. Clarkston 17 6. Rockford 15 7. Ann Arbor Pioneer 14 8. Portage Central 12 9. West Ottawa 10 9. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 11. Ann Arbor Huron 12. Bloomfield Hills 8 13. Troy 7 13. Romeo 7 15. Rochester 5 16. Okemos 4 17. Kalamazoo Central 3 18. Howell 2 18. West Bloomfield 2 20. Grand Blanc 1 20. Saline 22. Troy Athens 0 22. Royal Oak 0 Special Shout-Outs: - Coach Brenda Lionas and her inredible Northville squad for claiming the State Title. Brenda, you are pure class and well-deserving of the team you've produced. -Coach Mike Pearson and his incredible crew from Eisenhower who took Runner-up. Mike, you run a great program and are a tireless worker. - Coach Tommy Huizen and his 1 doubles team Alayna Gee and Avery Marchlewski for winning the first individual state title in Rockford Program history. Ladies, you are the best doubles team in the state of Michigan...Wow!!! Also, a special congrats to Grace Chen at 3 singles and Sophie Burns at 2 singes for advancing to the semi-finals. You did amazing! - Daniella Richardson from Kalamazoo Central for advancing to the State Semi-finals at 1 singles. We've watched you grow and develop since your freshman year, and we are so proud and impressed by the person and player you have become. You are forever a friend of WO:) As for West Ottawa, here's a few stats to make you say WO: - 16 trips to the state finals in the past 18 years. - Top 10 finishes 5 of the past 6 years. - Had players make the state-semifinals or further 4 of the past 4 years. Ladies, thank you for an incredible season. I love you all, and look forward to each day we spend together. Now, let's celebrate for a few days, then get back to work...we've got another season coming around the bend...let's have some fun and do it all again:) -Coach Pete Schwallier