Leelanau School won the inaugural Homestead Clay Court Invitational Friday at The Homestead in Glen Arbor, taking six out of eight flights.

The Thunderbirds’ Iskandar Sutherland-Shah, Zach Stanz, Dylan Chong and Pat Morgan all earned first-place medals in flights one through four, respectively.

“Most of the kids had never played on clay and they loved it,” said Leelanau School coach Tim Sutherland. “We want to thank Adriene Kokowicz and The Homestead for hosting the tourney and donating the medals for flight winners.”

Glen Arbor resident Casey VanderWerff and Andrew Campbell teamed up to win the No. 3 doubles title, and Wendy Anderson of Glen Arbor and Vikka Werblin won in No. 4 doubles.
The tournament also included competitors from Glen Lake and Leland.

Mike McNeil and Matt Keim at No. 1 doubles were medal winners for the Lakers, as was the No. 2 duo of Jordan Fink and Sean Griffard.

Participating for Leland were Art Wolin, Matt Osiecki and Chuck Master in singles action; and Dylan Schaub and Max Lambert, Jay Vana and Derek Schaub, and Phil Matro and Peter Rennie in doubles.

Overall, Leelanau School won 12 matches, Glen Lake seven, and Leland one.

In other action Monday, Leelanau School defeated Glen Lake.

Sutherland-Shah downed Dan Sterling at No. 1 singles, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Jessie Allen, at No. 2 singles, defeated Glen Lake’s Alexis Turner, 6-1, 6-1. At No. 3, Chong topped Caleb Abbott, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, and Morgan won the fourth flight, 6-1, 6-3.

In doubles play, tanz and Justin Lenoch won in two sets, 6-2, 7-6. At No. 2, Vikka Chong and Anderson were winners, and VanderWerff and Ben Goodman won at No. 4.

Glen Lake’s No. 2 doubles team of Fink and Griffard won 6-4, 7-6 over Duncan Breakstone and Turner Elmore.

“Even though we got a late start on practice and were a couple of weeks behind, I am most happy with our ability to win close matches,” Sutherland said. “The kids are buying into keeping the ball in the court and letting our opponents make mistakes.”

Sutherland has a team of 24 students and is assisted by Joe Blondia and Mike Kibbey.

Stanz and Lenoch are providing senior leadership as captains, and Sutherland-Shah (the coach’s nephew), and Stanz remain undefeated.

Leland was blanked by the T-C West JV Tuesday, 7-0.

Leelanau played at T-C St. Francis Wednesday and makes up a rainout at Leland Friday.