(Chelsea Update would like to thank Coach Matt Pedlow for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea girls Tennis Team finished in 7th place at the MI State Finals this year with 10 points.
“All year we’ve had one goal—to finish in the top 10 at states. The best finish we’ve ever had was last year when we tied for 10th place, so this year we were able to accomplish our goal,” said Coach Matt Pedlow.
The girls played well in the first round, for the first time in the program history all 8 flights won their opening match. As coaches, we’ve really stressed playing in stressful situations all year. I wanted to put as much pressure as possible on the girls this season and the girls definitely stepped up big, Pedlow said
Probably our best example of this was at 2 doubles, where Hannah Moore and Hannah Schwippert were down 5-1 in the 3rd set against a very good and very well coached Haslett team, he said
“At the moment where many girls would give up any hope of winning, both of the girls loosened up and remembered what has been successful all year. They really started stroking the ball and attacking the net, and suddenly they end up winning 6 straight games to take the match,” Pedlow said.
“I’m so proud of these two, they never gave up out there and played a tremendous last 6 games. Hannah Moore’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Schwippert started placing her shots much more consistently,” he said.
At 1 singles, Katie Lee won her first ever match at states, defeating Lakeshore in the first round. “Katie was so excited to pick up that point for us, and she was one of the first victories on the day for the team. The other girls were very proud of Katie and I think it gave them some motivation to go out there and win,” the coach said. “Katie has spent the past two seasons at 1 singles and her sophomore year she was 2, so she’s always had to face some of the best players in the state. This year she was able to play a great match against an opponent that was not willing to give up easy points. Katie kept her unforced errors down and hit a number of winners that were absolutely impossible to return.”
All the other singles flights won their first match as well. At 2 singles, Mackenzie Benning won a pretty easy match before facing off against the eventual runner-up Cranbrook. “Mackenzie’s had a great year for us, I really look forward to her leading this team next year and hopefully she can remain at the level of play she’s been at this year. She enjoys mixing things up on the court and she’s a very tough opponent to beat as she likes to figure out her opponent and use their weaknesses to her advantage,” Pedlow said.
At 3 singles, Callie Brannon won her match against Williamston 6-3, 6-2 before losing to #2 ranked Holland Christian in the quarterfinals. “Callie has had a heck of a year for us, this was her first year at states and she played as though she had a tremendous amount of experience. Her second match against HC Callie played some of the best points I’ve seen her play this season. She moved all over the court and kept attacking her opponent, but her opponent’s passing shots were tough for Callie to get to,” the coach said.
The other new player to the state finals was at 4 singles, Anna Argento. “Anna also played against Williamston in the first round and won 6-2, 6-1 before losing to the state runner-up Cranbrook. Anna seemed to have peaked at just the right time this season, I think she’s going to be a very tough player as she moves forward and finishes her career for us,” Pedlow said.
At 1 doubles, the team of Sam Jabara and Erin Koch won their first match against Grand Rapids Catholic 6-1, 7-5 before running into Cranbrook. The girls got down big in the first set, and were down 4-0 in the 2nd before staging a great comeback to tie it up at 4-4. “Sam and Erin played their best tennis together during that 2nd set. Sam was serving great and Erin was really using her groundstrokes and volleys to win points. Although they lost they both felt as though they played well against a great opponent,” the coach said.
At 3 doubles, the team of Carrie Williams and Joy McCarthy made it to the quarterfinals where they lost a tough 3-set match to Notre Dame Prep. “Carrie and Joy played outstanding, their upset win earlier against #3 ranked Holland Christian really set the tone for the day. Both of the girls played the best tennis of their careers in that match. Holland Christian’s 3 doubles was a very good team, and the girls lost the first set 6-1 but were able to battle back to take the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3,” Pedlow said.
At 4 doubles, the team of Alison Staelgrave and Taylor Schrock also had a great match against Allegan. “Allegan is always a tough team, especially their doubles. They are well coached and the doubles girls always play well as a team, but Alison and Taylor were able to take the match in two sets. Their next match was against #3 Detroit Country Day, and the girls were up big, winning the first set and up 4-0 in the 2nd set. DCD was able to start winning some games, and then after the hour long rain delay came out and played outstanding, winning the 2nd set in a tiebreak. At that point our girls lost the momentum they had and ended up losing a very tough match,” he said.
“I’m really proud of this group of girls. They came together at states after taking 2nd at Regionals and winning our district championship and all played an important role in getting us points. We’re losing 8 girls from this team, and they are going to be very tough to replace,” Pedlow said.
