Ernest Seaholm High School - Piper Yearbook (Birmingham, MI)

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FRONT ROW: Andrea Scicli. Jacquelyn Baby. Dawn Aginian. Debra Micbelson. Christina Doyle. SECOND ROW: Kirsten Pietila. Kirstin Fitzpa- trick. Jenny York, Adie Olmsted, Susie Rifkin, Megan Taylor unloads a powerful serve en route to a 6-0. 6-1 beating of her Groves archrival. photo by Doug Englc Mary Seeger. THIRD ROW: Jodi Deller. Megan Taylor. Alexa Irwin. Dierdra Keating, .V ;s5i ' Heuston. Coach Parry. GIRLS ' VARSITY TENNIS 187 wMki. 1

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Girls net 15th Consecutive SNA Title by Brad Kasselman Answer: Overheads. Question: What was the girls varsity tennis team ' s weak point this year? That may have been the team ' s only weak point as they rolled to another SMA championship, the 13th in a row. Senior co-captain Alexa Irwin remem- bers two really great things about the season. The team had great balance and unity as a whole. On any given day, most anyone could switch positions and the outcome of the match would be exactly the same. This helped the team be less competitive. This year the team was led by freshman Missy Heuston at 1st singles, where she compiled a 20-4 record. Other outstanding performances were turned in by co-captain Jenny York at 4th singles, and Alexa Irwin and Susie Rifkin at 1st doubles, both finishing with 24-3 records. Overall, the team finished with a fine 10-2 record. Dual meets made up the majority of the team ' s busy schedule, as well as Saturday all-day invitational A great backhand isn ' t captain Alexa Irwin ' s only attribute. As a four year letterman, she added spirit and determination to the team. photo by Doug Engle Effort, Determination, and skill. That ' s what dictated such a success- ful season. COACH LEW PARRY VARSITY TENNIS OPPONENT SHS OPP Southfield Troy Berkeley Hazel Park Andover Kimball Ferndale Kingswood Groves Athens G.P. South Marian 7-0 7-0 7-0 7-0 7-0 7-0 7-0 5-2 7-0 6-1 0-7 2-5 tournaments and regional and state competitions. For the most part, the dual meets went really well. We totally dominated the league. We never lost a single match in any fight to any of the SMA teams, recalled senior Kristin Fitzpatrick. Seasonal highlights included winning the Grand Blanc Invitational, finishing second at regionals, and placing a superb 5th in the state out of 32 qualifying teams. Individual honors in- cluded all-Eccentric for Missy Heuston, Alexa Irwin, and Susie Rifkin. They, along with Debra Michelson, also made All-County. To add to this positive season, the outlook for next year ' s team is an optimistic one as 7 out of 10 starters will be returning. This promise of another strong team pleased Coach Parry. He noted, There are always a lot of strong teams from this area like Lahser, Mar- ian, and Kingswood. When we finished so high in the state, it showed how hard the girls really worked this season. Displaying perfect form, Susie Rifkin unleashes a deadly forehand while her Groves opponents await it with mounting anxiety. photo by Doug Engic 186 GIRLS ' VARSITY TENNIS

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OL IL ' - i T i2.y €dSr . liJe a (: Ty ounding out an excellent season, ' Team, coached by Bob London, won a lYl(20 C •HTC S I nq I ctliLtZ-lc majority of its matches by maintaining .c . ' ron n- a?e:ect: r;i2 ::ot hd 4iiosc Depth, Oh -hos r - krnJJ-c e(ir ichfQ o ooiHatch Point T reail h pc YOX JV Tennis Team f- . The JV Tennis Team worked hard to improve their skill and excelled in competition. COACH BOB LONDON JV TENNIS OPPONENT SHS OPP CM loA ; 6-4 4-3 4-5 8-2 5-7 6-4 7-6 9-1 ■t n l- - ' ll ■ ml fj-n — wtvp 188 GIRLS ' JV TENNIS being defeated only by Kingswood and Marian. Freshman Nancy Murphy cited that the team ' s highest quality was its singu- lar identity. The whole team stuck together as one unit and we did the best we possibly could with the support given from the other members and our friends. Unity becomes a key element in a sport such as tennis, which combines individual effort, as well as team results. Amy Self, a highly improved freshman, commented, The strength of our team lies in our support for one another. In an early season match against Marian High School, the Junior Varsity Girls played their toughest in hopes of overcoming this difficult opponent. De- spite their strong effort, the Maples fell to Marian, 4 to 5. The Girls Junior Varsity Tennis Team consisted of eleven strong players. Freshman Elizabeth Hughes, seeded at the number one singles position, played an excellent season, achieving eight wins. The number two singles position was held by freshman Nancy Murphy. She demonstrated explicit skill in over- coming six opponents. Sophomore Vin- nie Vanevery controlled the third singles position, with a final record of 6-2. Alison Forslund, playing the number four singles position, displayed her strong ability in defeating her toughest oppo- nent from Lahser. This year ' s doubles positions were held by Amy Hentgen, Sara Starkel, Mary Napier, Amy Self, Jill Link, Delynne Vail, and Sarah Loose. These girls all gained the chance to compete with a partner and work together to complete a rewarding season. I feel that tennis was meant to be played with a doubles partner as a social sport, commented Napier. To sum up the season, Vanevery stated, Our team had great depth and a super final record. iO,