Polson, Whitefish claim tennis titles
Andy Dykstra completed his charge from seventh seed to divisional champion Saturday, defeating teammate Brian Dubuque in the boys singles final 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).
The two Pirates in the final, along with doubles team Logan Klein and Brett Vandeberg taking third place, gave Polson the boys team title with 55 points.
"We got everybody in (to state) we expected, and everybody we have going can do good things at state too," Pirates coach Bob Hislop said. "There were a couple of more kids I would have liked to get through."
Said Dykstra of playing his teammate for the championship: "It's real hard. He's a very good player, better than I am, he just had a bad day.
"We usually wind up playing each other in practice, and he beats me about 85-90 percent of the time."
Bigfork was second with 36 points. The Vikings put two doubles team in the final match, with Laine Averill and Pete Collins downing Aaron Miles and Joe Wolstein 6-3, 6-4.
Also advancing to state on the boys singles were Izaak Opatz from Whitefish and Frederich VonSchweinitz from Columbia Falls. Cody Harrison and Ryan Rottenbiller from Whitefish qualified in doubles play.
The Bulldogs captured the girls team title with 51 points, ahead of Polson's 40. Three Whitefish singles players made it to state, led by Danni Paulson who won the divisional championship 6-0, 6-1 over Pirate Jen Orchard.
"I felt very consistent, not a lot of mistakes," Paulson said. "I was trying to keep the ball in until I can get a short ball for a winner and put it away."
Orchard and Paulson had to battle a stiff wind that picked up just before the start of their match, and it made for some ragged play in the early games.
"It's hard to get a grip in the wind and just play a solid game," Paulson said. "You have to set up differently and play the ball differently with a different spin."
Said Hislop: "If it's a cross wind, the ball is moving all the time, and if it's a wind at your back or in your face you have to totally change how you hit the ball from one end of the court to the other."
That Orchard made it to the final was good news for Polson. Orchard avenged an earlier season loss to Whitefish's Taylor Beach, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in the semis.
"Jen's one of those kids, whether it's golf or tennis or basketball, you beat her once, the second go-around she's going to be a lot tougher because she likes to figure things out," Hislop said.
The surprise of the tournament was Bulldog freshman Brielle Menegazzi, who took fourth and qualified for the state tournament.
"Brielle has just been improving so much," Whitefish coach Patrick Dryden said. "She had to play a challenge match just to get here, and now she's going to state. Kind of makes me look like an idiot."
Paulson, Beach and Menegazzi will represent Whitefish in singles play, and were the main reason the Bulldogs won the team crown.
"I thought we got off to a good start Thursday and the momentum carried on through the whole weekend," Dryden said. "(But) you're never totally satisfied. We lost a doubles match that was kind of tough to swallow. It would have been nice to get a doubles team to state, but I'm definitely pleased getting three out of four singles players."
Two doubles teams from Bigfork advanced. Kaia Lock and Ashley Brunette defeated Polson's Malika Erickson and Emily Fors for the division title and Beth Bermel and Trisha Smith took home the consolation final win over the sister combo of Kate and Sarah Marcille from Columbia Falls.
The state tournament starts Thursday at Lewsitown.
Northwestern A Divisional
At FVCC
GIRLS
Team scores-Whitefish 51, Polson 40, Bigfork 31, Columbia Falls 29, Libby 6.
Singles
Final
Danni Paulson, WF, def. Jen Orchard, Pol, 6-0, 6-1
Semifinals
Paulson, WF, def. Elise Bennett, Pol, 6-0, 6-0; Orchard, Pol, def. Taylor Beach, WF, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
Consolation Final
Beach, WF, def. Brielle Menegazzi, WF, 6-2, 6-0
Consolation Semifinals
Menegazzi, WF, def. Bennett, Pol, 6-3, 6-0; Beach, WF, def. Emily Emert, CF, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles
Final
Kaia Lock/Ashley Brunette, BF, def. Malika Erickson/Emily Fors, Pol, 7-5, 6-3
Semifinals
Erickson/Fors def. Kyla Salisbury/Maresa Jenson, WF, 6-3, 6-3; Lock/Brunette, BF, def. Nikki Freebury/Crystal Nieves, CF, 7-5, 6-1.
Consolation Final
Beth Bermel/Trisha Smith, BF, def. Sarah Marcille/Kate Marcille, CF, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)
Consolation Semifinals
Marcille/Marcille, CF, def. Salisbury/Jenson, WF, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Bermel/Smith, BF, def. Freebury/Nieves, CF, 6-2, 7-5.
BOYS
Team Scores-Polson 55, Bigfork 36, Whitefish 33, Columbia Falls 12, Libby 7.
Singles
Final
Andy Dykstra, Pol, def. Brian Dubuque, Pol, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
Semifinals
Dubuque, Pol, def. Ben James, WF, 6-2, 6-2; Dykstra, Pol, def. Izaak Opatz, WF, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Consolation Final
Opatz, WF, def. Frederich VonSchweinitz, CF, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Consolation Semifinals
VonSchweinitz, CF, def. James, WF, 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-0; Opatz, WF, def. Brian Kehn, Lib, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
Doubles
Final
Laine Averill/Pete Collins, BF, def. Aaron Miles/Joe Wolstein, BF, 6-3, 6-4
Semifinals
Averill/Collins, BF, def. Cody Harrison/Ryan Rottenbiller, WF, 6-0, 6-1; Miles/Wolstein, BF, def. Logan Klein/Brett Vandeberg, Pol, no score reported.
Consolation Final
Klein/Vandeberg, Pol, def. Harrison/Rottenbiller, WF, 6-0, 6-0
Semifinals
Harrison/Rottenbiller, WF, def. Brendan Viscomi/Kyle Jacobson, WF, 6-3, 6-2; Klein/Vandeberg, Pol, def. Cy Murer/Owen Roberts, BF, 6-4, 6-4.