Alive to fight another day

Things were looking pretty bleak for Flathead's top doubles team Thursday during opening-day action at the Northern AA divisional tennis tournament on the courts at Flathead Valley Community College.

Miles Sorlie, a junior, and Tucker Moe, a sophomore, dropped their first outing 6-1, 6-1 to C.M. Russell's Braden Murphy and Nick Yaeger.

Then in a consolation eliminator later in the day, Sorlie and Moe continued to struggle, losing the first set 6-3 to another C.M. Russell twosome - Dawson Reisig and Payton Gardenhire.

But with their state tournament hopes on the line, suddenly things started to click. The Flathead duo regrouped to pull out a 6-4 win in the second set and followed that with a 6-2 verdict in the third for the victory and the right to advance to today's final round.

"We got to the second set and it was like ‘OK, we can do this,'" Sorlie said.

"I was getting my second serve in, I was hitting all my ground strokes consistently and placing shots where I wanted to."

Sorlie and Moe jumped out to a 3-0 game advantage in the final set. However CMR pulled to within one at 3-2.

"That's when we took off," Sorlie said.

Sorlie and Moe won three straight games after that to put it away.

"They were kind of tired," Moe said of the CMR duo.

"We didn't wake up until the second and third set."

Both Flathead players were smiling in the final set, playing more relaxed and more confidently. That was a far cry from their first performance of the day.

"They were pretty consistent," Moe said of Murphy and Yaeger.

"We were making unforced errors all over the place - double faults, just hitting the ball out."

Sorlie and Moe will now play teammates Ben Mason and C.J. Schumacher today at 9 a.m. in consolation action. Sorlie and Moe need two wins today to advance to state.

Glacier had an outstanding day. The Wolfpack has nine girls in the semifinals - three singles players and three doubles teams. Headlining that list is three-time state singles runnerup Liana Bates and defending state doubles champions Cami Mathison and Veronica Walton.

For the boys, five are in the semifinals - one in singles and two doubles teams. Leading that group is state singles champion Kellen Bates.

"It definitely was a good day," Glacier coach Josh Munro said.

"There were a lot of close matches that could have gone either way. We knew they would be tight matches. Our kids fought well."

Munro said Brandon Doty turned in a superb effort in the final match of the day.

"A huge win from Brandon in singles," Munro said.

"He went 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (0) with Jeremy Zug from Flathead. It was a fun crowd (on hand)."

The top four finishers in singles and doubles advance to state.

Northern AA divisional

Thursday

At Flathead Valley Community College

Boys

Team Totals

C.M. Russell 24, Glacier 20, Flathead 10.

Singles

First round

Kellen Bates, G, bye; Phillip Phattharaampornchai, G, def. Conner Danelson, CMR, 6-0, 6-1; Brit Kessner, CMR, bye; Andrew Klinginsmith, F, def. Jordan Birdwell, G, 7-5, 6-0; Jeremy Zug, F, bye; Ben Gold, CMR, def. Jake Williams, F, 6-0, 6-0; Glenn Strickler, F, bye; Will Runkel, CMR, def. Brandon Doty, G, 6-1, 6-2.

Quarterfinals

Bates def. Phattharaampornchai, 6-0, 6-1; Kessner def. Klinginsmith, 6-1, 6-0; Gold def. Zug, 6-2, 6-0; Strickler def. Runkel, 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation

First Round

Danelson, Birdwell, Williams, Doty all had byes

Second Round

Klinginsmith def. Danelson, 6-2, 6-4; Phattharaampornchai def. Birdwell, 6-1, 6-0; Runkel def. Williams, 6-0, 6-0; Doty def. Zug, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (0).

Doubles

Brandon Simpson/Patrick Phatharaampornchai, G, bye; Dawson Reisig/Payton Gardenhire, CMR, def. Joe LoPresti/Nick Riley, F, 6-0, 6-0; Ben Mason/C.J. Schumacher, F, bye; Braden Murphy/Nick Yaeger, CMR, def. Miles Sorlie/Tucker Moe, F, 6-1, 6-1; Ryan Schmauch/Ryan Edwards, G, bye; Karl Hellwig/Evan Froystad, G, def. Tyler Beagley/Carson Regoli, F, 6-2, 6-1; Jack Martinez/Eamon Ormseth, CMR, bye; Gavin Weissman/Will Smith, CMR, def. Izaak Castren/Qyintyn Menegazzi, G, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Quarterfinals

Simpson/Phatharaampornchai def. Reisig/Gardenhire, 6-1, 6-3; Murphy/Yaeger def. Mason/Schumacher, 6-0, 6-1; Schmauch/Edwards def. Hellwig/Froystad, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-1; Martinez/Ormseth def. Weissman/Smith, 6-4, 6-2.

Consolation

First round

LoPresti/Riley, Sorlie/Moe, Beagley/Regoli and Castren/Menegazzi all had byes

Second round

Mason/Schumacher def. LoPresti/Riley, 6-3, 6-2; Sorlie/Moe def. Reisig/Gardenhire, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Weissman/Smith def. Beagley/Regoli, 6-0, 6-0; Hellwig/Froystad def. Castren/Menegazzi, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Girls

Team Totals

Glacier 27, C.M. Russell 15, Flathead 8

Singles

Liana Bates, G, bye; Hilary Syvertson, G, def. Megan Berhardt, CMR, 6-2, 6-1; McCall Smith, F, bye; Cecily Meade, CMR, def. Jaycee Rocha, F, 6-1, 6-0; Katya Kulikova, G, bye; Barrie Sugarman, F, def. Kylie Mortenson, CMR, 6-0, 6-2; Hailey Blalack, G, bye; Lexi Pyette, CMR, def. Ashlie Petek, F, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

Quarterfinals

Bates def. Syvertson, 6-0, 6-0; Meade def. Smith, 6-0, 6-1; Kulikova def. Sugarman, 6-1, 6-1; Blalack def. Pyette, 6-1, 6-0.

Consolation

First round

Berhardt, Rocha, Mortenson, Petek all have byes

Second round

Smith def. Berhardt, 7-6 (3), 7-5; Syvertson def. Rocha by default; Pyette def. Mortenson, 6-1, 6-2; Sugarman def. Petek, 7-5, 6-3.

Doubles

First round

Cami Mathison/Veronica Walton, G, bye; Jaryn Ravetto/Susan Sievers, F, def. Mikaela Shaw/Mikalley Williams, CMR, 6-0, 6-3; McKenzee Richards/Maddie Hazelip, CMR, bye; Shelby Ballard/Ingrid Ericksen, G, def. Willow Fantino/Alex Bardwell, 6-1, 6-1; Andrea Battello/Annie Marshall, F, bye; Amy Snipstead/Kailea Vaudt, G, def. Anna Stone/Isabelle Brooks, F, 6-3, 6-2; Haley Mortenson/Lise Spencer, CMR, bye; Katie Fish/Cayley Fish, CMR, def. Lauren Jones/Kirstyn Haugenoe, G, 6-0, 6-1.

Quarterfinals

Mathison/Walton def. Ravetto/Sievers, 6-0, 6-0; Ballard/Erickson def. Richards/Hazelip, 6-0, 5-7, 6-3; Snipstead/Vaudt def. Battello/Marshall, 6-2, 7-5; Mortenson/Spencer def. Fish/Fish, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Consolation

First round

Shaw/Williams, Fantino/Bardwell, Stone/Brooks, Jones/Haugenoe all had byes

Second round

Richards/Hazelip def. Shaw/Williams, 6-1, 6-2; Ravetto/Sievers def. Fantino/Bardwell, 7-6 (3), 7-5; Fish/Fish def. Stone/Brooks, 6-0, 6-2; Batello/Marshall def. Jones/Haugenoe, 6-2, 6-3.