After rewriting the state record books, the West Michigan tennis star is looking forward to the next chapter

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Whether it was celebrating a win or learning from a loss, being able to share the highs and lows with her teammates was what Ryan Morey valued most about high school tennis.

And it was her team-oriented approach that allowed the outgoing Forest Hills Northern senior to rewrite state records.

By earning first place in doubles in the Division 2 girls tennis state finals, Morey not only led the Huskies to their fourth title in five seasons, but also capped her career with a 118-0 record.

Her four flight championships — two at No. 2 doubles and two at No. 1 doubles — represent a Michigan High School Athletic Association record, and her career winning streak also broke the previous record of 98 consecutive victories held by her former teammate Isabella Paul, who graduated from Northern in 2020 and could have added to her record had her senior season not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morey has won his last 58 games alongside fellow senior Paige McKenzie, and their 58-game winning streak makes them the winningest doubles team in state history, surpassing Traverse City Central’s Alex Alward and Christine Milliken, who won 44 straight games in 2002.

Competing for a state championship can be a weekend-long rollercoaster of emotions for tennis players, and that was especially true for Morey, who knew what was at stake that Saturday at the Byron Center.

“Going into our semifinal match on the second day of the U.S. Championship, I was so emotional,” Morey said. “I realized that it was one of our last matches together and that we had actually made it this far without losing.”

“…Everyone I played against all year knew about it and I was a huge target. To actually do it – I can’t believe it.”

After winning the first set of their championship match 6-3, Morey and McKenzie stumbled in the second set, losing 5-7 to the second-seeded duo of Jenna Ting and Katie Slazinski of Birmingham Seaholm.

“I don’t want to say we played our worst tennis, but it definitely wasn’t our best,” Morey said of the second-set loss. “This team definitely played their best, so it was just about putting balls in play and getting back to basics, because we struggled with trying to do too much when we just needed to keep the ball in play.”

A quick meeting with Northern head coach Steve Olson and his assistant Tim Morey, Ryan’s father, gave the reigning state champions renewed focus and allowed them to pull away with a 6-4 win in the third set.

“Our coach Steve and my dad really helped us in the third set and they knew what we had to do,” Morey said. “They really attacked us at the net and we had to make better decisions when we were making shots instead of just hitting them and so on. I think once we got going, we just knew. We knew deep down that we were going to win the match, it was just a matter of actually doing it.”

Morey, the daughter of a tennis coach, has been swinging a racquet since elementary school but became disillusioned with the sport and its individual nature just before high school until the idea of ​​playing doubles reignited her passion.

“I competed in tournaments from when I was 10 until I was 13 or 14, but I didn’t love it. I hated it and didn’t work hard at it,” Morey said. “My dad was a high school tennis coach my whole life, so I knew about doubles, but I never really knew what it would do for me. When I got into my freshman year and played doubles, I really decided that this is what I love to do.”

“The USTA is more about singles, and I don’t want to say it’s more competitive, but it’s different. It’s all solo play, and I love being on a team. I didn’t like having to win alone or lose alone, so when I got on the team, we were really together, and it really meant a lot to me when we won as a team or lost as a team.”

Morey plans to continue her education and tennis career at Calvin University, where her father works as an assistant women’s tennis coach.

Because the college game features six singles and three doubles flights, there is less emphasis on doubles play, so Morey is spending the summer getting used to that style of play again.

Regardless of the team she plays on her freshman year, Morey said she is looking forward to continuing the sport at a higher level and with a roster of teammates cheering her on.

“I’m really excited to come into a new community, have new teammates and meet some new girls, but also just experience a different level of play,” she said. “I’m ready for more competition and I’m ready to really work for it. I’m really trying to get better this summer and work on my individual game so I can play my best for the team.”