Tennis: Defending champs return for crosstown
Defending singles state champions Kellen Bates and Katya Kulikova of Glacier will make their season debuts today at the Wolfpack’s crosstown tennis dual with Flathead.
Bates and Kulikova had been playing in out-of-state USTA events, but Wolfpack coach Josh Munro said he’ll have a full squad for today’s dual.
“This will be one of our first looks at the majority of our team together,” Munro said. “We’ve got a lot of pieces to put together, but we’ve got a lot to work with.”
Munro also expects Hunter and Hailey Blalack to make their season debuts. Hunter placed fourth at last year’s boys state singles tournament while Hailey was third in girls singles.
Without their top two singles players, the Glacier boys are 3-0 on the season with wins over Great Falls High, C.M. Russell and Bigfork, but they’ll be up against a Flathead team that is also unbeaten, with wins against those same three teams.
Flathead’s top two singles players, Glenn Strickler and Matt Widen, haven’t dropped a set through three matches. Strickler has lost just two games while Widen won all three of his matches 6-0, 6-0.
“They look really good,” Flathead coach Sue Corrigan said. “We’ve got a couple guys that have been playing for a long time and they’re really working hard at it. They like to be challenged, so I’m looking forward to playing Glacier, because that will be the most challenging match they’ve played all year.”
Strickler has the tall task of taking the court opposite Bates, a three-time singles state champion with a 50-0 high school record.
“I’m hoping Glenn will get a couple games off Kellen,” Corrigan said. “I hope he plays well and sticks to his gameplan. He doesn’t lose very often, so I’m not sure what to expect out of him, but he’s got the skill to stick with Kellen.”
Widen, a newcomer from Atlanta, will play Blalack.
“He’s a quick player and he really likes the challenge,” Corrigan said. “He can really dig deep and come up with some big plays.”
Glacier has numerous doubles options, including a pair of seniors in Logan Iverson and Ryan Edwards and a team of talented freshmen in Spencer Johnson and Brit Walton. Corrigan said she hadn’t settled on a doubles lineup as of Wednesday evening.
Glacier’s girls are also 3-0, thanks in large part to doubles teams that have gone 11-3. Kirstyn Haugenoe and Kali Mathison are unbeaten at No. 1 doubles, but they’ll slide over to No. 2 with the season debut of Veronica Walton, a two-time doubles state champion who will play alongside Kailea Vaudt.
“The girls have been looking tough,” Munro said. “They’ve all played now with these partners. They’ve kind of gelled with each other. Now they want to come out and establish themselves and have a good start to the season.”
Flathead will counter with Sarah Christiansonova and Dana Pfeifer at No. 1 doubles. While the pair lost a three-set match to Bigfork on Tuesday, Corrigan said it’s a team with potential.
“Our No. 1 girls doubles is a fun team,” she said. “They really enjoy playing and they’ve got some skills. They struggled a little (against Bigfork), but coming off spring break is tough.”
Flathead’s girls are 0-1-2 so far with a loss to C.M. Russell and ties against Great Falls and Bigfork. Ashli Petek is 1-2 at No. 1 singles, but she’ll slide over to No. 2 with the season debut of Barrie Sugarman, who will play Kulikova. Petek will be opposed by Blalack.
Glacier’s girls are 7-0 all-time against Flathead while the boys are 6-1.
Today’s matches begin at 3 p.m. at Flathead Valley Community College.