(Chelsea Update would like to thank Matt Pedlow for the information in this story.)
The CHS girls tennis team continued their record 6th straight trip to the MI State Finals as they finished in 2nd place at their regional match.
Chelsea finished with 22 points behind Grosse Ile with 27 points.
“Grosse Ile has a dominant girls tennis program and even won a state title a few years ago,” said coach Matt Pedlow. “I knew going in that they would be tough to beat, but I also knew we could take some flights and put some pressure on them. I also knew the girls were going to have to play well to earn a trip to states and they certainly stepped up.”
At 1 singles, Ana Dutenhefner, an exchange-student from Brazil won her first match before losing to the eventual champion from Divine Child.
“Ana watched Sammy play earlier and knew that it would be a very tough match for her,” the coach said, adding, “Ana played a great match but was simply overpowered by such a dominant opponent.”
Carli Martin also faced a very tough Divine Child opponent after winning her first match against Adrian 6-0, 6-0.
Although Carli has struggled with some minor injuries this season, she played great tennis today, Pedlow said, adding, “Her loss against DC was one of the best matches she’s had this season, and her opponent ended up winning the regional title.”
The coach said, “I’m very proud of the way she fought, taking her to a tie-breaker in the first set and eventually losing the 2nd 6-3. Carli seems to be playing the best tennis she’s played all year at a perfect time as we head into the state tournament.”
Our freshman 3 singles player Kelsey Weinreich made it into the regional finals in her first ever regional tournament after defeating Jackson Northwest and Parma Western. “Kelsey was down big against Western in her 2nd match but battled back to take the 2nd set 6-3,” her coach said, adding “She then closed her out with a 6-3 3rd set win. She’s played beautifully all year for us and I was thrilled that she made it into the finals. Kelsey then faced Grosse Ile and lost, but what a great start to her career for us.”
Emma Catalina was the sole singles champion for Chelsea, defeating Grosse Ile 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. “It was a huge win for Emma, she really struggled in the first set but took the coaching and started to get her opponent out of sync. She never regained her momentum after the beginning of the 2nd set and Catalina took advantage of that,” Pedlow said.
“Emma has had a great year for us at 4 singles and I would expect she’ll have a successful couple of rounds at states,” he said.
Our 1 doubles team of Kendall Tucker and Morgan Moore played their best matches so far this season at regionals. They won their first match against a tough Carleton Airport team 6-2, 6-0. Tucker and Moore were up 3-0, but one of the problems they’ve faced this season is watching leads disappear.
“After Airport took the next two games, I was concerned they were going to get behind, but they started playing the level of tennis we’ve known all season they’re capable of and didn’t lose another game,” Pedlow said.
“They then lost to a very good Grosse Ile 1 dubs team 6-2, 6-4. They also seem to be peaking at just the right time, I can’t wait to see what they do at states, I think they could really cause some headaches for some teams that are seeded if they continue to play at this level,” Pedlow said.
Maddie Pedlow and Julia Schachinger lost a heart breaker against Wester 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 after defeating New Boston Huron. The first time we played Western we lost 7-6, 7-5 so I knew it would be close.
“Maddie and Julia played an incredible 2nd set, but Western proved to be the tougher opponent and closed out the match. When these two are both clicking they’re a great doubles team to watch. They played 2 dubs last year as well and one of their goals was to get into the quarterfinals at states which is definitely doable if they play at this high level, the coach said.
Our 3 doubles team of Abby Burris and Gabby Noble lost their first match of the season in the finals against Grosse Ile. “These two have had such a great season, I can’t wait to see what they do at states, they are certainly one of the strongest 3 doubles teams in the area as shown by the season they’ve had,” Pedlow said.
“Gabby has developed a backhand that is almost nonreturnable, and Abby has begun to get very aggressive at the net and this has made them very formidable,” the coach said.
The other flight we won the regional championship at was 4 doubles. Corrine Dale and Madilynn O’Hara really didn’t start playing together as a doubles team until the end of April but you would never know it based on the level of play they’ve exhibited.
“These two looked unstoppable at regionals, only losing 4 games on the day and winning 36,” Pedlow said, adding, “They defeated a Grosse Ile team that had a pretty easy time getting into the finals, but O’Hara and Dale were too much. Their confidence is soaring right now and it should be interesting taking them to states for the first time.”
Overall, it was a good day for us, Pedlow said, “I’m very proud of the girls for making states again. This is always a goal for ours as the season begins but it was in doubt a couple of time this season. The girls all stepped up huge and played good tennis for us and I’m hoping to stay dry and get some good practices in before we head to Kalamazoo on June 2,” the coach said.
