Glacier tennis looking for three-peat

Glacier will be thinking more hardware, as in trophies.

For Flathead, its thoughts will be on getting Glenn Strickler a return trip to state and building a solid program for the future when Northern AA divisional tennis play starts today in Great Falls.

Glacier’s girls are going for their third straight divisional championship, while junior Kellen Bates is also going for his third singles title in a row.

Bates is also a two-time defending AA state champion.

Bates last year helped the Wolfpack boys capture their first ever divisional title.

The top four divisional finishers — singles and doubles — advance to state, which begins May 18 in Missoula.

Divisional singles action will take place at the C.M. Russell courts. Doubles action is scheduled for Riverside Courts and Meadow Lark Country Club.

Also competing are C.M. Russell and Great Falls High.

Divisional play ends Friday.

Glacier has five boys and five girls eyeing return trips to state.

In addition to Bates, it’s Karl Hellwig, Evan Froystad, Ryan Schmauch and Ryan Edwards for the boys.

Hellwig and Froystad have new doubles partners this year — Danny Roe and Izaak Castren, respectively — while Schmauch and Edwards are together again.

The five girls are Katya Kulikova, Hailey Blalack and Veronica Walton in singles and Amy Snipstead and Kailea Vaudt in doubles.

Snipstead, a senior, has finished fourth, third and second in doubles divisional play. 

“The goal is first to get through divisional with the expectations of setting ourselves up for a good run at state,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said.

“It’s hard to put a finger on it now (regarding divisionals),” he said.

“The boys are in very good shape. The girls doubles will be a very challenging bracket overall. We’re in position to take three (doubles) teams (to state), but the real question is always who shows up to play.

“Right now I’m hoping to qualify as many as we can ... see where it leads us,” he added.

“Last year we qualified seven boys and seven girls. This year, 10 of them are looking for repeat trips. I’d like to add another couple 4-5 on the board.”

One of those could be Mario Hernandez, who has enjoyed a solid spring in singles play.

Flathead’s wish list for state is far smaller.

Strickler, second to Bates at the divisional last year, may wind up carrying all of Flathead’s state hopes, again.

“He’s had a good season,” FHS coach Jeff Anderson said.

“He’s competed in pretty much every match he’s been in.”

Anderson said the singles field “seems so much deeper this year than in years past.”

Flathead’s Tucker Moe, a junior, Andrew Klingensmith, a junior, and Jeremy Zug, a senior, could surprise in singles at the No. 4 spot and qualify for state.

“If they have a good tournament, play well, we could put one more through,” Anderson said.

Barrie Sugarman returns to singles play for the Flathead girls after a busy spring, which also included band, choir and International Baccalaureate (IB) testing for many of the FHS players. This will be just her second competition.

“It’s tough to say (how she will do),” Anderson said.

“Glacier has three very, very solid singles players that will advance and Great Falls has one very tough gal. She (Sugarman) will have to be placed in the bracket correctly and play her best tennis.”

Sugarman lost in the divisional consolation quarterfinals last year.

Regarding Flathead’s doubles situation, Anderson calls it “a mismatch, a hodgepodge.”

With IB testing and music competitions, the doubles teams have had new partners almost every week. Anderson said his doubles lineup for divisionals will be heavy on junior varsity players.

“I don’t know if we have enough experience with our teams to play at that level,” he said.

“We’re putting together kids who can play.

“With all the conflicts (this spring with other school related activities), this opened up opportunities (for the younger players),” Anderson said.

“This gave them experience and hopefully, it will carry over to next season.

“We’re hoping on Glenn (returning to state),” Anderson added.

“Beyond that, whatever we get will be icing on top. We just don’t have depth and experience. We have great, super kids. We’re just young and need experience.”

Northern AA Divisional Tennis

May 10-11

Great Falls

Singles - C.M. Russell High School

Doubles - Riverside Courts and Meadow Lark Country Club

What to watch: The Glacier boys and girls both won divisional last season. The Glacier girls are seeking their third straight championship as is Wolfpack junior Kellen Bates in boys singles.

Flathead is seeking to qualify a handful of netters for state, led by Glenn Strickler, who finished second to Bates at divisional last season.