PHS Tennis Team Finishes 8th in State, Savage and Matteson Runners-Up at 3 Doubles

The Lady Raider Tennis Team’s incredible season came to an end on Saturday at Kalamazoo College in the MHSAA Division 4 finals. Portland finished 8th as a team.

Portland’s Julia Savage and Novelle Matteson ended their season as State Runners-Up at 3 doubles.

After the tournament, Coach Crystal Lowe said, “We had a great state tournament and I am very pleased at the outcome. Top 10 in the state is an amazing accomplishment (as a side note, we tied with Royal Oak Shrine Catholic who are coached by Chance Conley, a former PHS 1 singles State Champ!) We knew going into the tournament that we would face tough competition, but the girls stepped up and played some of their best tennis all season! There are two distinct matches that stick out from the tournament. Our 1 doubles quarterfinal match versus North Muskegon. That was an undefeated NM team going into the tournament and Rachel and Riley put up an incredible fight going 3 sets with them. Had just a few points been played differently, we could have witnessed our 1 doubles moving on to the semifinals! The second match of the tournament that deserves recognition is the semifinal match our 3 doubles played against the #2 seeded Lumen Christi team. Again, another 3 setter, Novelle and Julia played their hearts out to defeat a team they had lost to earlier in the season and securing their spot in the finals! While they definitely deserve acknowledgement for taking on a tough Sacred Heart team in the finals, their determination in the semifinal match is what got them to the finals. I couldn't be more proud of how they played and how hard they fought!”

Lowe added, “Our entire team put up great fight in all their matches and I am very proud of all of them. The graduated Seniors were a strong example of what dedication can do for a team, and our returning players will continue that dedication into next season.”

The photos above are from Julia Savage and Novelle Matheson's 3 doubles championship match against Sacred Heart. Courtesy of Keith Jenks.