The Wolves finished in third place during the MHSAA Division 1 Girls Tennis State Finals in Holland last Friday and Saturday.
Clarkston Girls Varsity Tennis Assistant Coach Nikole Carlson shared it was a tremendous display of teamwork and determination.
Clarkston finished with a total of 18 points for third place, one point more than local rival Bloomfield Hills who tied with Novi for fourth place with 17 points. Another title contender, Ann Arbor Skyline, finished in sixth place with 16 points.

In first round play, Clarkston came out with strong performances by No.1 and No. 4 doubles to advance into the second round. With byes in round one, all of Clarkston’s singles as well as No. 2 and No. 3 doubles also played through the near record heat to win and secure spots in round three.
“With semifinals on the line, fifth seeded No. 3 doubles pair Lana Sloan and Ava Henkel battled a strong fourth seed team from Northville in a near three hour match, commanding the third set to bring home the win,” Carlson said. “They played some of the best tennis I’ve seen from them all season, physically but especially mentally. In the semifinals they again fought their way back, forcing a third set but eventually falling to number one seed Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Charlotte Partchenko, on No. 4 Singles and second seed, went into the state tournament undefeated with the goal of meeting first seed Sophia Liang of Ann Arbor Pioneer in the finals.
“She got her wish, handily beating Mercy, Skyline, and Novi,” Carlson said. ‘Despite her best efforts, she lost to Sophia in the final but should be nothing but proud of her second place finish. As a sophomore with incredible drive, she definitely has the potential to come back next year and win.”
Another highlight was Kate Ketzler and Ginger Robinson on No. 2 doubles. They worked their way through Mercy and Rockford for a rematch in the semifinals against Troy, who they had beaten in a third set tiebreaker earlier this year.
“ I know Ginger and Kate have the will and the work ethic to come back next year even better,” Carlson said.
Partchenko finished the state finals going 3-1 on her flight. Leah Geisz on Singles No. 1, Abbey Labate on Singles No. 2, and Katarina Fisher on Singles No. 3 all went 1-1 in their respective flights.
Sloan and Henkel as well as Robinson and Ketzler finished the two days going 2-1 in their respective flights.
Lauren Sielinski and Maddy Gurn on Doubles No. 1 and Kendall Woodward and Abby Finnerty on Doubles No. 4 went 1-1 in the respective flights.
Ann Arbor Pioneer finished as state champions with 32 points and Troy finished in second place, 25 points.
“The competition at this level is so strong, you aren’t going to win with talent alone You’ve got to withstand the heat, the pressure, the highs and lows, and be adaptable to your opponents,” said Carlson. “Third place in the state is truly outstanding. This was an incredible season and we are already looking forward to next year.”

  girls tennis, state finals