Sister Act

Lexa Hindo (holding sign) is joined by her parents, John and Veronica Hindo, and sister Alana Hindo after Lexa won the MHSAA Division 3 No. 3 doubles state championship with her partner Stella Glorio last month at the University of Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center.

State Champion siblings Alana and Lexa Hindo

By Steve Stein

Two sisters winning girls tennis state championships while playing for different high school teams is a remarkable achievement. The coincidences surrounding Alana and Lexa Hindo’s state titles make their story even more extraordinary.

Alana captured her state championship in the spring of 2023 as a sophomore at Bloomfield Academy of the Sacred Heart. She teamed with Presley Krywko to win the No. 3 doubles title at the Division 4 state tournament at Kalamazoo College.

Fast forward to the spring of 2025: Lexa, also a sophomore, won the No. 3 doubles title with partner Stella Glorio at the Division 3 state tournament at the University of Michigan.

Two state championships in two years for the Hindo sisters—each won as a sophomore, each at No. 3 doubles.

The similarities don’t stop there.

Alana and Krywko, the No. 1 seed in their flight, won four consecutive matches to claim their title. They dropped just nine games in their first three matches before defeating No. 2 seeds Meera Pandey and Meera Tewari of Ann Arbor Greenhills, 6-2, 7-6 (2), in the final. Alana and Krywko had already beaten Pandey and Tewari twice earlier in the season.

Lexa and Glorio, also the No. 1 seed in their flight, followed a nearly identical path. They won four straight matches, losing just 13 games in the first three rounds, before defeating No. 2 seeds Michelle Chen and Jessica Hall from Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, 6-3, 6-4, in the final. Lexa and Glorio had split their earlier matches against Chen and Hall. The Cranbrook pair won in three sets in the Catholic League semifinals, but Lexa and Glorio dominated their rematch at regionals, winning 6-1, 6-1.

Alana transferred from Sacred Heart to Marian after the 2023 season to attend a larger high school. She sat out her junior tennis season due to transfer rules and had planned to play as a senior this past spring. However, she couldn’t balance a tennis commitment with her job at a physical therapy office and ultimately didn’t return to the team, though she remained a dedicated supporter from the sidelines.

Marian coach Olivia Underwood said it was purely a strategic decision to pair Lexa with Glorio at No. 3 doubles—replicating Alana’s championship path was never part of the plan. She was just trying to put together the strongest lineup.

But the sisters were well aware of the coincidence, and Lexa embraced the opportunity.

“That absolutely motivated me,” Lexa said. “I wanted to win a state championship exactly when and where my sister did.”

“It was so cool to watch my sister win a state championship, and to do it as a sophomore at No. 3 doubles. That’s hard to believe,” Alana said. “I was so happy for her because all her hard work paid off.”

As a freshman, Alana played No. 3 singles at Sacred Heart and won a regional championship.

Lexa, who is 5-foot-5—an inch taller than her sister—had a much quieter freshman season at Marian. She wasn’t a regular in the starting lineup, playing just five matches at No. 4 singles and finishing with a 1-4 record.

Her sophomore year was a different story. She and Glorio went 16-5, and Lexa said she entered the season confident she could succeed.

“I’ve been playing tennis for quite a while. I know how to play,” she said. “You’re just so young when you’re a freshman. The biggest thing I had to learn was dealing with the pressure of big matches. I didn’t have that pressure when I was a freshman.”

Lexa said partnering with Glorio set her up for success, both on and off the court.

“Stella and I are friends. We’ve been in a lot of the same classes together,” she said. “Both of us had extra motivation this season. Stella lost in the state championship match at No. 4 doubles as a freshman (in 2024).”

Underwood said several factors go into pairing doubles teams.

“Playing styles, strengths, weaknesses, attitude when they play, their relationship off the court ... “ she said. “Lexi has an incredible serve. Stella is a left-hander who is strong at the net. I knew she could take advantage of the weak shots that come back from Lexa’s serves.”

Lexa noticed.

“Stella is very good at the net. She can get to any ball,” she said.

Underwood said she enjoys having Lexa on her team.

“It’s a pleasure to be her coach. She’s a good kid,” she said. “She’s always positive and always encouraging her teammates.”

Both Hindo sisters are standout students.

Alana, who turns 18 on July 31, graduated from Marian this spring with a 4.0 GPA and has been accepted into the University of Detroit Mercy’s five-year accelerated physician assistant program.

She said transferring to Marian was “great academically and socially for me.”

Lexa, 16, also holds a 4.0 GPA. She’s undecided about her future career but is considering something in the science field.

The sisters’ parents, John and Veronica Hindo, live in Commerce Township.