Marian, DCD girls tennis earn state titles in respective divisions

By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

Two local squads returned home from the state tennis finals with championship trophies, as Bloomfield Hills Marian and Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day won titles June 5.

Besides the champs, nine other Oakland County teams posted top-six finishes in the four divisions.

Mustangs take D-2 title
After finishing with 28 points apiece, Marian earned a co-championship with defending champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.

Birmingham Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills Andover and Farmington Hills Mercy finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Marian was a runner-up to Northern in 2009 and finished as state runner-up in Class A in 1996 and 1980, and in Class B in 1979.

“You’re proud as much as you’re relieved to see them achieve their goals,” coach Dan Bittner said about winning the D-2 state title. “At Marian, we’re surrounded by state championships. We just knew we wanted to win one for ourselves, and we knew it was going to take a lot of hard work.”

The Mustangs played in seven semifinal flights and had four flights reach the finals.

“We knew right from the get-go that you don’t win state titles on day one, you lose them,” Bittner said. “We, basically, focused on playing to our seed. We knew if we could hold our seed … we would be in position on day two.”

Individual state champions in singles for the Mustangs were Bailey Paradiso (No. 2) and Kelly Lunghamer (No. 3), who defeated Seaholm’s Ashley Roth in an all-Oakland County final.

In doubles, Marian’s Katherine Fidelholtz and Katherine Dillon (No. 2) won a state championship.

Bittner said it was his No. 2 doubles team that clinched the title.

“My message to the girls heading into the tournament was to just worry about what happens between the lines and not to get wound up in what is going on outside the court.”

Yellowjackets on top in D-3
At Jenison High, the No-1 ranked Country Day team won its first D-3 championship.

The Yellowjackets held off Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood and East Grand Rapids, which tied for second with 27 points, by a single point to earn the title.

The feat marked DCD’s ninth girls tennis state title, winning in D-4 from 2003-06 and the Class C-D title from 1990-93.

“It was fierce competition,” DCD coach Tom Ellis said. “It wasn’t a walk in the park. It came down to the last match. In the past, we were expected to win. In Division 3, there’s a lot more depth. Going in, we felt like we had the best team, but it was still a battle.”
Ellis called the victory a total team effort.

“Every team contributed some points,” Ellis said. “We had no weak flights. Every flight picked up points.”

Amabel Karoub captured her second individual state championship at No. 3 singles — previously winning in 2009 — and freshman Jane Ziecik (No. 4 singles) earned a state championship.

You can reach Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1107.