Video: Addyson Brake, Carlson, vs. Kate Eaton, Bedford
Adyson Brake of Gibraltar Carlson,(near court) plays Bedford’s Kate Eaton at No. 1 singles on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
GIBLRALTAR – The ice cream was extra sweet this year.
Gibraltar Carlson girls tennis coach Brian Herman has a tradition with his team.
Each year when regional pairings are released, he takes the girls to a local ice cream place to go over the matchups.
“Everyone is slurping on the coach’s tab,” he said.
This year’s slurping was accompanied by the realization that the Marauders could do something special.
“I am not sure all of them know what a seed means,” Herman said with a chuckle. “But I tell them, ‘Here is who you are playing in the first round and this is how you did against them last time.’ They all saw they were playing against someone they had already beaten.”
A win in all eight first-round matches would virtually assure a regional championship and the trip to the state finals that goes with it.
That’s exactly what Carlson did.
The Marauders won what is believed to be the first regional championship in school history.
That, coupled with an 11-1-1 record in dual matches and a second-place finish in the Downriver League, led to Herman being named Monroe County Region Girls Tennis Coach of the Year.
Herman searched in the school gymnasium for the tennis banner after his team captured the regional crown.
“There were only league (titles listed), unless they forgot to put in the regionals,” he said.
Herman was surprised how dominating his team was in its regional.
“We actually ran away with it,” whose team finished with 24 points to 18 for runner-up Wyandotte Roosevelt. “We had flight winners all of the place.”
Rylee Sulewski (No. 3 singles), Julie Mitchell (No. 4 singles), Madison Jacobs-Lila Angelos (No 2 doubles), Nicole Sendry-Sarah Pente (No. 3 doubles) and Chloe Hales-Aliyah Newman (No. 4 doubles) all won regional titles.
Carlson’s only dual-meet loss of the season came late in the season against Bedford when the Marauders didn’t have their full lineup available.
“The girls had a great season,” Herman said.
Herman expected to have a strong squad in his 11th season as head coach.
“We had 11 returning players,” he said. “We lost half of our No. 2 doubles team and had to find a new No. 4 doubles team. All four of our singles players returned, but one of them shifted to doubles.
“I knew we would be would be competitive.”
The Marauders faced a test early in the season when they played Downriver League contenders Trenton and Wyandotte Roosevelt in the same week.
“We beat Trenton 7-1 and Wyandotte 6-2,” Herman said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we could be really good.’”
Strong play by the singles players made Herman’s job easier.
“Our singles were really strong,” he said. “This is the second year in a row that Rylee Sulewski didn’t lose a match (until the state finals). When she came off the court, I never asked her who won, just the scores.
“Erin Riley was 21-3 at No. 2.”
Adyson Brake (No. 1) was the only senior in the starting lineup for singles.
Part of the secret to Carlson’s success is depth.
The Marauders had 45 girls on the roster. Throughout Herman’s tenure, they have fielded two junior varsity teams.
“We’re able to split up the talent and get everyone a chance to play,” Herman said. “Our athletic director (Dan Kalbfleisch) understands what we are doing. He wants to keep us a no-cut sport.”
Going to the state finals was good for the Marauders, even though they only scored one point.
“We had a couple of really bad draws where we had to play a seeded player in the first round. We had one three-set loss and a couple of others were close. It was a good experience.”
Herman, 63, works for the Wayne County Department of Homeland Security.
“I’m an accountant,” he said. “We buy all the toys and make sure everyone is well equipped to fight the bad guys.”
His wife, Lynne, is the former tennis coach at Trenton.
Herman is a 1979 graduate of Wyandotte Roosevelt and played tennis in college at Western Michigan.
He was introduced to Carlson tennis by watching his daughter play for the Marauders.
“The coach announced he was quitting,” Herman recalled. “I thought I might as well get paid to coach the team. I thought I would just stay a couple of years while my daughter was playing, but it was fun. I’ve had zero problems. It’s a good program with quality kids. It’s easy to coach them.”
