Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett poses on the courts at Midland Tennis Center on Oct. 21 after receiving the 2025 Division 4 boys tennis championship trophy.
By: Scott Bentley | Grosse Pointe Times | Published November 11, 2025
GROSSE POINTE WOODS/MIDLAND — Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett boys tennis returned to the top of Division 4 after a convincing first place finish at Midland Tennis Center on Oct. 21.
The 10-point margin of victory over second-place Jackson Lumen Christi was tied with Division 1 for the largest separation between first and second place in boys tennis this year. In total, University Liggett won four of the eight flights en route to the team’s state championship.
“It was a total team effort,” University Liggett head coach Mark Sobieralski said. “We had seven of our eight flights make the semi (finals). ... We ended up winning by 10 points, which is very significant.”
Despite not winning either of the top two flights in the singles side of things, Liggett won three of the four doubles events as well as the fourth flight in singles.
“In my whole career, out of all of the state titles I’ve won, this is the one we had wrapped up the soonest,” Sobieralski said. “Everyone got really deep in the tournament. … We got points from every flight.”
The team’s roster was one of the deepest in the entire state, and this was proven during the state tournament. To win a state title, you don’t necessarily need to win the top events, but you do have to go far in as many events as possible, and Liggett’s roster was unmatched in that regard.
“There’s no question that our depth was a factor,” Sobieralski said. “You need points from everywhere, and that’s how you win a state title.”
In the doubles events, Griffin Marchal and Nico Cooksey won No. 1 doubles, Landen Maltby and Charlie Laethem won No. 2 doubles, and Rene Quint and Lucas Ferguson won No. 3 doubles. Sophomore Justin Platt won the No. 4 singles flight.
“From the first day we knew we had a good shot at winning as a team,” said Marchal, a senior. “We kept playing with that fire to make sure that we didn’t stop there and stayed hungry for when it really mattered.”
One of the other unique traits that Liggett’s roster showcases is versatility. The team is composed of a lot of kids who aren’t necessarily year-round tennis players. Marchal, for instance, starts hockey immediately following the tennis season.
“We have a lot of athletes on our team.” Marchal said. “Whenever the season comes around, we get a lot of people who know that they can compete wherever they’re at in the lineup.”
2025 marks the third time since 2020 that University Liggett has won the Division 4 title, and this is the program’s eighth since 1998. Coach Sobieralski has been at the helm for five.
“Liggett’s boys tennis is the only sport that plays at the top division of the Catholic League. … We’re so small they play in the lower divisions (in other sports),” Sobieralski said. “Our league is Catholic Central, Brother Rice, U of D, Greenhills and Cranbrook. Every team is in the top 10. … So, another thing that helps us is our tough schedule.”
The battle-tested team is always competitive in boys tennis, and the future looks just as bright as the present.
“We only have three seniors. … We had a good blend of experience (this year), yet we have four or five sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup as well,” Sobieralski said. “It’s kind of good when you have that great blend.”
Ultimately, this was a top dog returning to the top, and with a big group of returners next year, it might stay that way for a while.
“Liggett has a great reputation. They’ve got more state titles than every school in the state,” Sobieralski said. “The kids battle … and it’s a team effort.”