By DAVID COOK
DIVISION 1
Top teams statewide: Grosse Pointe South, Bloomfield Hills, Northville, Port Huron Northern
Grosse Pointe South has won two out of the last three Division 1 state titles and will be among the top teams in the state again this season.
Bloomfield Hills is another perennial tennis power and will also be in the thick of the hunt for the title.
Top local teams: Clarkston, Midland Dow, Rockford
Clarkston placed second at state last season and has enough talent returning to make a run at this year’s title. Isabella Spindler is one of the top players in the state at No. 1 singles, while Sam Webber is another solid singles player. The No. 1 doubles team of Katie Hubregsen and Caitlin McCaghy is one of the top doubles teams in the state.
Midland Dow placed in the top 10 at last year’s state meet. It has a strong group of singles players, led by Mckenna Root at No. 1, along with Jessica Brown, Elaina Parrillo, and Hadley Cammp. Dow is also strong in doubles, led by the No. 1 team of Afua Ofori-Darko and Kamryn Matthews and the No. 2 team of Nicole Dobrzelewski and Kelly Livingston.
Rockford won a regional title last year and placed 11th at the state meet. The Rams have one of the top singles players in West Michigan in sophomore Allyson Bowman at No. 1. Senior Alyssa Bowman is a standout at No. 2 singles. The Rams also feature a solid No. 1 doubles team in Maddie VanEck and Jillian Day.
More area teams to watch:
Grand Ledge placed second in the CAAC Blue last season. The Comets are led by junior standout Kitt Sharp at No. 1 singles.
Holt has a senior-laden lineup that is looking to move up in the CAAC Blue. Rose Harris-Makinen tops the lineup at No. 1 singles, with senior Tracy Edelman at No. 2 singles and junior Abby Daman at No. 3 singles.
DIVISION 2
Top teams statewide: Birmingham Seaholm, Forest Hills Northern, Marian
When it comes to Division 2 girls tennis, Seaholm, Northern, and Marian are the gold standard. One of these three teams has won the state title each of the past 12 years, with Seaholm and Northern sharing it last season. All three teams are loaded again this year, with Seaholm bringing back senior Claire Markley, a three-time state finalist in singles. Northern is led by senior Clair Aleck, who is the premier singles player in West Michigan.
Top local teams: Okemos, East Lansing, Mason
Okemos captured the CAAC Blue and placed fifth at the state meet last season. The Chieftains return plenty of talent and have potential for another deep tournament run. They are led by senior Emily Struble, the defending state champion at No. 1 singles. Also returning are Monika Francsics, who reached the semifinal round at No. 2 singles last year; Catherine Wingrove, who was second at No. 3 singles; and Kylie Wilkinson, who reached the semifinal round at No. 4 singles.
East Lansing placed eighth at the state meet last year. While the Trojans were hit hard by graduation, they always have plenty of talent waiting in the wings. Senior Bree O’Neal is back at No. 1 singles, as is junior Isabella Ndlebe, who reached the quarterfinal round in No. 2 singles. Junior Caroline Baidoon returns at No. 3 singles.
Mason tied for 14th at state last year and has a solid group of players this season. Junior Samantha Perkins and sophomore Olivia Hanover top the list of singles players for the Bulldogs.
More area teams to watch:
St. Johns tied for second in the CAAC Red last season and will be a factor in the title chase this spring. It is led by seniors Allie Marier at No. 1 singles and Meredith Robbins at No. 2 singles.
Owosso is looking to be improved this season. The Trojans have Casadi Smith back at No. 1 singles and fellow senior Grace Rice at No. 2 singles. Junior Hannah Marcotte is a strong player at No. 4 singles.
Mt. Pleasant has a solid group of singles players this season. Senior Mackenzie Vogt tops the lineup at No. 1, with Brittaney Warren at No. 2, Tiana Gilis at No. 3, and Lauren Knight at No. 4.
DIVISION 3
Top teams statewide: Cranbrook-Kingswood, Detroit Country Day, Grand Rapids Christian
Cranbrook-Kingswood captured a fourth straight state title last season, and enough talent returns to make another run this year. Junior Allison Mateo heads up the singles lineup at No. 1. Freshman Kate Cao is an emerging star at No. 3 singles. Cranbrook also has a deep crew of talented doubles players.
Detroit County Day took second in the state last season, and the Yellowjackets will again be a threat to win it all. Junior Haley Mullins was the state runner-up at No. 2 singles, and senior Sarah Carroll won the state title at No. 4 singles. Country Day also returns plenty of talented doubles players.
Top local teams: Notre Dame Preparatory, Williamston, Haslett
Notre Dame Prep placed fifth at state last season and will again be capable of a top-five finish. Senior all-stater Kayla Stencel heads up the singles lineup at No. 1. Senior Hannah Preuss and junior Julie Boniface are a dynamic pair at No. 1 doubles.
Williamston is led by one of the premier singles players in the state. Junior Sara Daavettila won the state title at No. 1 last season. One of the top-ranked singles players in the country, she competed at the Dow Corning Tournament in February. Williamston also has talented players behind Daavettila in sophomore Sydney Ellsworth at No. 2 singles and sophomore Maia Guenther at No. 3 singles.
Haslett placed 12th at state last season and returns plenty of talented players. Junior Hannah Vogelsang reached the quarterfinal round at No. 2 singles at state a year ago. Seniors Allison Grandfield and Brooke Hartsuff return to No. 2 and No. 3 singles this season. Haslett also boasts a strong group of doubles players, led by senior Mary Kate Martell and junior Claire Cowan.
More area teams to watch:
Fowlerville has a veteran group of singles players. Cecillia Bronsberg is at No. 1 singles with Madison Gilbert at No. 2 singles and Rachael Perkens at No. 3 singles.
Lakewood has a promising young team this season. Sophomore Valory Altoft is at No. 1 singles with sophomore Kendra Stoepker at No. 2 singles. At No. 1 doubles, the Vikings return twins Ellie and Issie Haskin.
DIVISION 4
Top teams statewide: Traverse City St. Francis, Grosse Ile, Kalamazoo Christian
Grosse Ile captured the Division 4 state title last season behind a veteran group of players.
Traverse City St. Francis placed third last year and returns plenty of talent this season. It has already notched some impressive wins and is the early favorite to win state.
Top local teams: Portland, Lansing Catholic, Powers Catholic
Portland has been one of the premier tennis programs in the area, and this season will be no exception. Plenty of talent returns from a team that placed fourth at the state meet last season. Sydni Greenhoe was a finalist at No. 4 singles last year and leads the singles group this spring along with Chelsea Geiger. Junior Payton Lowery was part of a No. 1 doubles team that reached the quarterfinal at the state meet.
Lansing Catholic also placed in the top 10 last season. The Cougars have plenty of talent returning, including one of the premier singles players in the state. Calla Ramont reached the final at No. 1 singles and heads up a deep group of talented singles players this season. Sabrina Spagnuolo and Grace Mohr return to the singles lineup, as well.
Powers Catholic has displayed plenty of skill in the early days of the season. The Chargers have a solid corps of singles players, led by Alise Haddad at No. 1, Sarah Adams at No. 3, and Neha Iska at No. 4. The Chargers also feature a solid No. 1 doubles team in Hannah Rahman and Mattie Milne.
More area teams to watch:
Frankenmuth took second at the regional last season and qualified for the state meet. The Eagles have a strong group of players returning, led by sophomore Lindsey Mertz at No. 1 singles. Seniors Megan Kueffner and Haley Goodall return at No. 1 doubles.
Ithaca is led by the senior tandem of Courtney Gantz and Hannah Andrews. Gantz is at No. 1 singles and Andrews at No. 2 singles.
Leslie has a player to watch in senior Ashley Medcoff at No. 1 singles.