Category: Boys Tennis

The All-U.P. Division 1 Boys Tennis postseason awards were announced today (6/20/22) and Marquette’s Nick Olivier was named as the U.P. Division 1 Player of the Year and was also selected to the All-State Team.

Below is the complete list of post-season honors for the 2022 U.P. Division 1 boys tennis season:

U.P. Player of the Year:

• Nick Olivier – Marquette

All-State – Singles:

• Nick Olivier – Marquette

All-U.P. First Team – Singles:

• Luke Syrjala – Negaunee
• Gavin Saunders – Negaunee
• Gunnar Dlugas – Escanaba
• Nathan Howes – Escanaba

All-U.P. Honorable Mention – Singles:

• Tyler Lajimodiere – Negaunee
• Brock Murphy – Menominee

All-State – Doubles:

• Isaac Maki & Dawson Williams – Escanaba

All-U.P. First Team – Doubles:

• Jace Turri & James Thomson – Negaunee
• Isaac Maki & Dawson Williams – Escanaba
• Joe Hubert & Josep Montal – Escanaba

All-U.P. Honorable Mention – Doubles:

• Isaac Nash & Ben Trevillian – Kingsford
• Gavin Downey & Bryce Storms – Negaunee

On Wednesday, June 1, the MSHS Boys Tennis team traveled to Kingsford compete in the 2022 MHSAA U.P. Division 1 Boys Tennis Championship.  In what was a tight three-team battle for the title, MSHS finished third out of six competing schools.

Team Scores:

1. Escanaba – 17
2. Negaunee – 15
3. Marquette – 13
4. Kingsford – 5
5. Menominee – 2
6. Gladstone – 0

2022 MSHAA Division 1 U.P. Champions:

• #1 Singles:  Nick Olivier – Marquette
• #2 Singles:  Gavin Saunders – Negaunee
• #3 Singles:  Tyler Lajimodiere – Negaunee
• #4 Singles:  Sam Rivera – Escanaba
• #1 Doubles:  Isaac Maki & Dawson Williams – Escanaba
• #2 Doubles:  Joseph Hubert & Joseph Montel – Escanaba
• #3 Doubles:  Connor Smale & Troy Delvaux – Escanaba
• #4 Doubles:  Seppi Camilli & Toby Camilli – Marquette

Additional Top Performers From MSHS:

• #3 Singles:  Chase Thomsen – 2nd Place
• #3 Doubles:  Isaac Johnson & Liam McFarren – 2nd Place

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (9-1-1; 5-0-1 GNC)

MARQUETTE 5, NEGAUNEE 3

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Gavin Saunders, NEGAUNEE, 6-3, 6-1;
• No. 2 – Tyler Lajimodiere, NEGAUNEE def. Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2;
• No. 3 – Mick Kumpala, NEGAUNEE def. Chase Thomsen, MARQUETTE, 7-6 (12-10), 6-4;
• No. 4 – Brian Belkowski, MARQUETTE def. Ethan Harris, NEGAUNEE, 6-3, 6-2;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Jason Andary & William Olivier, MARQUETTE def. James Thomson & Jace Tuuri, NEGAUNEE, 6-3, 7-5;
• No. 2 – Gavin Downey & Bryce Storms, NEGAUNEE def. Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE, 6-0, 6-2;
• No. 3 – Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE def. Zack Brundage & Gavin Jacobson, NEGAUNEE, 6-4, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Toby Camilli & Tristan Potila, MARQUETTE def. Brandon Borlace & Carter Piziali, NEGAUNEE, 6-4, 6-2

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “Our two teams battled a couple weeks ago and you can see quite a bit of improvement from both teams. My hat goes off to Tyler and Mick, Negaunee’s #3 and #4 players. Both of those young men had to move up in the line-up today and it didn’t seem to faze them. As for our squad, I thought we were fundamentally strong in our doubles matches and Brian Belkowski did a good job of mixing his play up today. I’m really pleased with the level of tennis by both teams and it should make for an exciting U.P. Tournament next week. I think Coach Saari said this is the closest he can remember three teams (Negaunee, Esky, and Marquette) being heading into the U.P.’s in quite some time.”

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (8-1-1; 5-0-1 GNC)

MARQUETTE 6, WESTWOOD 2

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Andrew Niemi, WESTWOOD, 6-0, 6-0;
• No. 2 – Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE def. Bryce Markham, WESTWOOD, 6-1, 6-2;
• No. 3 – Brian Belkowski, MARQUETTE def. Patrick Klumpp, WESTWOOD, 6-0, 6-2;
• No. 4 – Mason Heitikko, WESTWOOD def. Nathen Barsch, MARQUETTE, 6-2, 6-2;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Jason Andary & William Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Ryan LaFountain & Chase Prophet, WESTWOOD, 6-3, 6-3;
• No. 2 – Gabe Tossava & Nick Salzwedd def. Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3;
• No. 3 – Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE def. Mitchel Ford & John Thomsen, WESTWOOD, 6-1, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Toby Camilli & Seppi Camilli, MARQUETTE def. Tristan Miller & Reid Frustaglio, WESTWOOD, 6-1, 6-2

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (7-1-1; 5-0-1 GNC)

MARQUETTE 8, WEST IRON COUNTY 0

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Matthew Dutcher, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-0, 6-1;
• No. 2 – Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE def. Caleb Strom, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-0, 6-1;
• No. 3 – Brian Belkowski MARQUETTE def. Ethan Isaacson, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-1, 0-6, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Nathen Barsch MARQUETTE def. James White, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-1, 6-0;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Matt Barsch & William Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Colton Holm & Sam Holroyd, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-0, 7-5;
• No. 2 – Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE def. Logan McCord & Jackson Strom, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-1, 6-3;
• No. 3 – Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE def. Zander Birmingham & Jonah Holmberg, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-1, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Bodhi White & Holden Hutter, MARQUETTE def. Blake Ferrara & Lane Norman, WEST IRON COUNTY, 6-0, 6-0

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “All and all we played much better than we did against Menominee the day before.  Our doubles teams were much more aggressive which is what we want them to be.  I was really pleased with Nathen Barsch today at #4 singles.  Nathen’s confidence has been building, today he finished his strokes, and the result was a great win.  ”

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (6-1-1; 4-0-1 GNC)

MARQUETTE 7, MENOMINEE 1

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Brock Murphy, MENOMINEE, 6-0, 6-3;
• No. 2 – Chase Thomsen, MARQUETTE def. Danny Birch, MENOMINEE, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3;
• No. 3 – Brian Belkowski MARQUETTE def. Landan Bordwoski, MENOMINEEE, 6-2, 6-0;
• No. 4 – Tristan Potila MARQUETTE def. Bradley Badker, MENOMINEE, 6-1, 6-0;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Adam Laurin & Trevor Theuerkauf, MENOMINEE def. Matt Barsch & William Olivier, MARQUETTE, 7-5, 6-4;
• No. 2 – Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE def. Nathan Schultz & Connor Coduti, MENOMINEE, 6-3, 7-5;
• No. 3 – Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE def. Troy Delvaux & Evan St. Peter, MENOMINEE, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5;
• No. 4 – Bodhi White & Holden Hutter, MARQUETTE def. Jeremy Salmi & Nathan Salmi, MENOMINEE, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “It was a so-so day on the courts today. We were coming off of an emotional/draining battle against Esky and it showed in some flights. We had a few mental lapses on the doubles side of things, but the positive there was our kids held on for the wins. Chase Thomsen moved up and played #2 singles today which resulted in a big three-set win. Chase was happy with the way he waited for the points to develop compared to how he rushed things last week in his Negaunee match. There are definitely some things we need to clean up as we head towards tournament time.”

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (5-1-1; 3-0-1 GNC)

MARQUETTE 4, ESCANABA 4

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Gunner Dlugas, ESCANABA, 6-0, 6-1;
• No. 2 – Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE def. Nate Howes, ESCANABA, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3;
• No. 3 – Conner Smale, ESCANABA def. Brian Belkowski MARQUETTE, 6-3, 6-3;
• No. 4 – Sam Rivera, ESCANABA def. Nathen Barsch, MARQUETTE, 6-0, 6-0;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Isaac Maki & Dawson Williams, ESCANABA def. Jason Andary & William Olivier, MARQUETTE, 6-1, 6-2;
• No. 2 – Joe Hubert & Josep Montal, ESCANABA def. Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE, 6-3, 6-0;
• No. 3 – Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE def. Troy Delvaux & Evan St. Peter, ESCANABA, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5;
• No. 4 – Toby Camilli & Seppi Camilli, MARQUETTE def. Parker Laford & Andrew Lord, ESCANABA, 6-4, 6-4

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “Escanaba is a very good tennis team, well coached.  So, I am really proud of the way our Marquette players battled with them today. I think Nick Oliver set the tone at #1 singles.  Nick really struck the ball clean today which led to a nice victory over a really solid opponent.  Our #3 doubles team of Liam McFarren and Isaac Johnson showed a lot of growth today as they scrapped for a nice come from behind victory.  The #3 doubles and the #2 singles were the co-matches of the day.  Over at #2 singles Matthew Barsch and Nate Howes had incredible point after point.  Eventually, Matt Barsch claimed the victory and credited support from his teammates to boost his energy in the third set.  As the coach, I like our progress but also understand there are a lot of little things we need to clean up.”

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (5-1; 3-0 GNC)

MARQUETTE 2, NEGAUNEE 6

Singles

• No. 1 – Luke Syrjala, NEGAUNEE def. Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE, 6-2, 6-3;
• No. 2 – Gavin Saunders, NEGAUNEE def. Chase Thomsen, MARQUETTE, 6-1, 6-1;
• No. 3 – Tyler Lajmodiere, NEGAUNEE def. Caleb Janofski, MARQUETTE, 6-0, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Mick Kumpala, NEGAUNEE def. Nathen Barsch, MARQUETTE, 6-0, 6-0;

Doubles

• No. 1 – Jason Andary & William Olivier, MARQUETTE def. James Thomson & Jace Turri, NEGAUNEE, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1;
• No. 2 – Gavin Downey & Bryce Storms, NEGAUNEE def. Keaton Ansell & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE, 7-5, 6-3;
• No. 3 – Toby Camilli & Seppi Camilli, MARQUETTE def. Zack Brundage & Gavin Jacobson, NEGAUNEE, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3;
• No. 4 – Brandon Borlace & Ethan Harris, NEGAUNEE def. Bodhi White & Holden Hutter, MARQUETTE, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “Well, quite honestly this was by far the best competition we played all year and I thought our kids played their butts off. I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy with a 2 matches-to-six matches defeat. We had about 5 JV players filling in today and competed very well against a U.P. powerhouse. Some of the sets we lost were much closer than the score indicates. Lots of games going to deuce, with lots of good points being played. For sure the highlights were our victories at #1 and #3 doubles. Both our teams really took control in the 3rd set and played their best tennis when it counted. With all of this being said, there are definitely a lot of things we are going to have to clean up before we roll into the tournaments. All and all, a great day of tennis up in Negaunee.”

MSHS Varsity Boys Tennis (4-0; 3-0 GNC)

MARQUETTE 6, KINGSFORD 2

Singles

• No. 1 – Nick Olivier, MARQUETTE def. Niko Przeslakowski, KINGSFORD, 6-0, 6-0;
• No. 2 – Matt Barsch, MARQUETTE def. Chris Sweig, KINGSFORD, 6-0, 6-0
• No. 3 – Chase Thomsen, MARQUETTE def. Brett Berglund, KINGSFORD, 6-0, 6-0
• No. 4 – Brian Belkowski, MARQUETTE def. Trent Maki, KINGSFORD, 6-1, 6-2

Doubles

• No. 1 – Isaac Nash & Ben Trevillian, KINGSFORD def. Jason Andary & William Olivier, MARQUETTE, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0;
• No. 2 – Keaton Ansell & Andrew King, MARQUETTE def. Charlie Christensen & Partner, KINGSFORD, 6-1, 6-2;
• No. 3 – Morgan Sleik & Hunter Hulkonen, KINGSFORD def. Liam McFarren & Isaac Johnson, MARQUETTE, 6-7(7-9), 6-4, 6-1;
• No. 4 – Toby Camilli & Seppi Camilli, MARQUETTE def. Cale Harris & Eli Wallis, KINGSFORD, 6-1, 6-2

From MSHS Boys Tennis Head Coach, Karl Thomsen:

• “Well, I have to say, that was maybe the craziest weather I’ve seen tennis played in. At one point in the #2-singles match, I saw our player hit a shot that landed on the other side of the net and take a 90-degree angle into the adjacent court. I’m not sure if the players thought it was fun playing out there, but they did battle through the wild gusts of wind. Our #2 doubles team, Keaton Ansell and Andrew King, were super-efficient out on the court today. They made short work of balls that hung in the air near the net. The Camilli brothers, Toby and Seppi, were a model of consistency at #4 doubles and their hustle made them a treat to watch. I like the improvement we are seeing, which needs to continue as we head towards the tournaments.”