By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
The Allegan girls tennis team continued its run atop the SAC/Lakeland Conference on Friday.
The Tigers captured their fourth straight conference championship, doing so in dominant fashion at the conference tournament by winning seven of the eight flights and finishing runner-up in the other.
Allegan finished 23-1 overall in matches during the tournament and lost just three total sets across the entire day.
Allegan coach Damien Arthur said the team’s focus entering the tournament centered around one word.
“Our word of the day was grit, because we knew that is what it would take to win a conference championship,” Arthur said. “This group showed that grit from the first match of the day all the way through the final points.”
Arthur pointed to the No. 2 doubles flight as one of the highlights of the day, as Hanna Kievit and Taylor Fuller battled through a third-set match to secure another conference title.
“One of the big highlights of the day came from 2 doubles, Hanna Kievit and Taylor Fuller, who fought through some struggles and won a third-set thriller to secure their fourth individual conference title of their careers,” Arthur said.
Also winning flights titles for Allegan were Camdyn Drozd at No. 2 singles, Kendall Halstead at No. 3 singles, Ava Thompson at No. 4 singles, the No. 1 doubles team of Ireland Dewey and Madison Cook, the No. 3 doubles team of Sophia Augustine and Emma Scheffler and the No. 4 doubles team of Kaylee Haas and Hailey Gauthier.
Addy Fales added a runner-up finish at No. 1 singles.
“We also want to give a huge shoutout to Camdyn Drozd, Kendall Halstead, Ava Thompson, Ireland Dewey, Madison Cook, Kaylee Haas and Hailey Gauthier on winning their first individual conference championships,” Arthur said.
The conference title capped an impressive regular season for the Tigers, who finished 22-0 overall in dual matches while also winning three tournaments and setting multiple school records.
Arthur said this year’s team has combined experienced leadership with younger players stepping into major roles.
“This team reminds me a little bit of our 2023 team because it has a great mixture of experienced players and talented younger players,” Arthur said. “We have seniors who have been in big matches before and understand what it takes, but we also have younger girls stepping into important roles and competing with a lot of confidence.
“That balance has been a big part of our success.”
Arthur said the latest conference title carried additional meaning because of the role the senior class has played in building the program over the past four years.
“This title means a lot because of the group we have this year, especially our seniors,” Arthur said. “They have been a huge part of building and maintaining the standard of Allegan girls tennis over the last four years.
“To win four straight conference championships is not easy, and this senior group has played a major role in making that happen through their leadership, consistency and commitment to the program.”
Arthur added that the team’s success has come from the work players put in throughout the year and the way they compete for one another.
“These girls sacrifice a lot to make this kind of success happen,” he said. “Winning a conference title is always special, but seeing this group do it together, and seeing our seniors continue to lead the way, makes this one feel really meaningful.”
