Drive to state starts for AA tennis

It will be a little tougher for singles and doubles players from the Northern AA divisional to reach the state tennis tournament this year.

Instead of players from three teams battling for state berths as in previous years, there are now four schools. Glacier joins the mix for the first time against holdovers Flathead, Great Falls High and C.M. Russell.

The top four placers in singles and doubles move on to state May 16-17 in Bozeman.

Flathead's boys and Great Falls' girls are defending divisional champions.

Play begins today at 1 p.m. with all singles and boys' doubles action at the Flathead Valley Community College courts. Girls' doubles will take place at Thompson Park (7th Ave and 10th Street East).

The goal is to play through four rounds today.

Play will resume Friday at 9 a.m. with the semifinals and finals at FVCC.

Players will be seeded this morning by coaches prior to the tournament.

All four divisional teams will essentially be facing off for the first time this season. Glacier and Flathead were scheduled to open the season on March 29 against the two Great Falls schools, but that action was snowed out.

Glacier, Flathead, Great Falls High and CMR were entered in the Helena Invitational, but action between players from those schools was limited to one day. The final day of that tournament was snowed out.

"It's a little different," said Glacier coach Josh Munro. "It will be difficult because we haven't seen them. Everyone was scouting everyone in Helena."

Liana Bates, Cami Mathison, Kayla Nelson and Mary Snipstead will play singles for Glacier. The doubles teams are: Rachel Sherrill/Genna Boyer, Arica Avila/Katlyn Hacke and Ann Koenig/Hillary Secrist.

"The same lineup we've played all year," Munro said.

Bates has won invitational titles the last two weekends in Missoula and Kalispell. The freshman is 13-1 on the season in singles play.

Mathison owns a 13-4 record.

"Very solid," Munro said of Mathison.

"She's also won a lot of matches. She's pretty similar to Liana, was a semifinalist at Helena."

Sherrill and Boyer finished fourth last weekend. Munro is also expecting them to do well at divisionals.

Sherrill last year advanced to state in doubles with Flathead.

"The only state returner we have," Munro said.

"She's got experience. That will help at this kind of tournament."

Munro would like to see Glacier advance six girls to state - two in singles and two doubles teams. If that happens, he thinks Glacier could contend for a divisional title.

For the Glacier boys, the singles lineup will consist of Jon Hammett, Patrick Phattharaampornchia, Tyler Russell and John Patrick. Playing doubles will be Brandon Simpson/Kyle Schmauch, Scott Marvin/Dan Howell and Michael Boettcher/Kyle Leduc.

Phattharaampornchia holds a 5-12 match record in singles and Hammett 3-5.

"A lot less experience on the boys' side," Munro said.

"They have been a work in progress, but are playing their best tennis of the season right now."

Munro would like to see four boys qualify for state.

Flathead returns three boys - Wes Mathison in singles, and doubles players Josh Brann and Cody Harrison - and two girls - Izzy Makman in singles and Olivia Heinle in doubles - with state experience.

The Bravettes finished sixth at state in 2007 and the Braves were seventh.

"It will be interesting to see (what transpires)," Flathead coach Buck Measure said of divisional play.

"(When you don't have a) chance to play (the competition during the regular season), when they show up for divisional, you never know what will happen."

Measure says he would like to see Flathead qualify two in boys' singles and two boys' doubles teams. For the girls, one singles player and two doubles teams would make for a successful divisional.

Also competing for Flathead will be: (boys) Chresten Knaff, Jon Cattron and Ben Stone in singles and Eric Skybak/Brett Harrison and Justin Mailman/Tim Praetzel in doubles; (girls) Sarstan Noice, Kelsey Tannehill and Andrea Bottello in singles and Maggie Sherrill/Melanie Nelson, Jordan Gentry/Shannon Ballard and Maxine Sugarman in doubles. Sugarman's partner is Heinle.