Newbie Liu wins the Miss Tennis award

NOVI — Novi senior Alice Liu is a Novi High School tennis cornerstone, and she made history her senior year.

Liu was named the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association’s Tiger Teusink Miss Tennis Award recipient for the 2023 season after competing in Novi singles this season and leading the team to its third straight regional title. The award is given to one senior in the state after a player is nominated by each division.

Liu is the first Novi girls tennis player to earn the award.

Between the dream concert and the dream award, Liu had one of the best 24 hours a high school student can have when she got the news.

“It was actually the morning after I attended a Taylor Swift concert, which was amazing by the way,” Liu said. “I was very tired in the morning when I got a call from coach (Dan) Lowes, which certainly woke me up. She told me that I deserved the Miss Tennis award and explained to me what it was and I was really excited and grateful to receive it.

Liu was 58-10 during her three-year career at Novi, where she anchored the singles spot all three seasons.

This year’s regional singles champion, Liu plans to continue her tennis career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she plans to study economics.

“What drew me to MIT the most was that I could study at such an academically prestigious school that I could also continue to play tennis,” Liu said. “Balance has always been a big thing for me, and MIT gave me the opportunity to continue to pursue that.”

Liu’s graduation leaves a void for Novi to fill next season, especially in the management department. As a leader, Lowes said, Liu left a strong foundation for the younger players next season.

“A lot of underclassmen looked up to him, and he led his game on the court,” Lowes said.