West Ottawa Girls Tennis Achieves Fifth Place Finish at D1 State Tournament

The West Ottawa girls tennis team delivered an impressive performance at the Division 1 state finals, securing a fifth-place finish with a total of 16 points, tying with Portage Central. The tournament took place on Saturday, May 30, at the Midland Tennis Center. Northville claimed the championship with 27 points, followed by Utica Eisenhower with 23 points, and both Novi and Ann Arbor Pioneer, each garnering 18 points.

Highlighting the Panthers' success was freshman Sydney Shafer, who made a remarkable debut in her first state tournament by advancing to the finals at No. 3 singles. Shafer showcased her skills by defeating Eden Lee of Ann Arbor Skyline 6-0, 6-1, and then overcoming Stoney Creek's Addison Michalak 6-2, 7-5. In the semifinals, she triumphed over Northville's Grace Xu with a score of 6-3, 6-2, but fell short in the finals against Portage Central's Aama Betala, losing 7-5, 6-3.

Another standout for West Ottawa was freshman Izzy Gitler, who reached the semifinals at No. 2 singles. Gitler won her opening match against Novi's Rebecca Liu 6-2, 6-0, and then dominated Bloomfield Hills' Sophia Tomina 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. However, she faced a tough challenge in the semifinals against second-seeded Isabelle Hult of Okemos, ultimately losing in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The Panthers also performed well in doubles competitions. At No. 3 doubles, Audrey Anderson and Olivia Smith advanced to the semifinals after defeating Troy Athens 6-0, 6-3, and Utica Eisenhower 6-2, 6-2, but were stopped by Northville in the semifinals with a score of 6-3, 6-1. Additionally, senior Maggie Rothstein reached the quarterfinals at No. 4 singles, winning against Ava Velilla of Rochester Adams but losing to Northville's Sana Panchal.

In other matches, Kallyn Gaul and Lovelle Kim reached the quarterfinals at No. 1 doubles, while Mallory Paff and Hope Sikorski competed at No. 4 doubles, winning their first match before being eliminated. Evie Price won her first-round match at No. 1 singles but was defeated in the second round, and Hope Hughes and Haylee Geerlings lost their first match at No. 2 doubles.