Wolfpack conquers wind, Flathead in tennis dual

Glacier’s boys and girls tennis teams each swept crosstown-rival Flathead 8-0 on the windy courts at Flathead Valley Community College Thursday, but the dual wasn’t without competitive matches.

Glacier senior Kellen Bates nearly dropped a set for the first time in his prep career against Flathead No. 1 Glenn Strickler before winning 6-4, 6-1, and Glacier No. 2 Hunter Blalack was pushed in his second set against Matt Widen before prevailing 6-2, 7-5.

The wind wreaked havoc with serves and groundstrokes alike, forcing players to take more conservative approaches. Holding serve in the wind proved particularly challenging in the No. 2 singles match as Blalack was broken three times while Widen was broken on six of 10 service games.

“My serve is one of the top parts of my game, but I did not serve too well today with the wind, so I just started dinking my serves,” Widen said.

Widen entered the match 3-0 and hadn’t lost a game in any of those matches, but he didn’t show the confidence of an unbeaten player in the opening set against Blalack. After holding serve in the first game, Widen was broken twice to fall behind 5-1. Another hold made it 5-2, but Blalack held serve to take the opening set, smashing an overhead winner at the net to even the game at 15-all, then winning three consecutive points on Widen’s errors.

Widen hit 15 unforced errors compared to just one winner in the set, and admitted he wasn’t completely focused.

“I guess since my friends were watching me I couldn’t really focus on the actual match,” Widen said. “I was getting in my head a lot the first set, that’s for sure.”

Blalack played a focused, conservative style, keeping the ball between the lines and away from Widen’s forehand. He made just six unforced errors in the set while striking three winners.

“The wind made it more, not as big tennis, I guess you could say,” Blalack said.

“I did well keeping it to his backhand. I’d like to come up the court more, come up to the net and try to finish more points up there.”

Blalack got on an early break in the second set, but Widen broke back and they traded breaks until Widen held serve to take a 4-3 lead. Blalack followed with a hold to keep the set on serve, then got a break three games later to take a 6-5 lead when Widen’s lob sailed past the baseline.

Serving for the set, Blalack struck an overhead winner to go ahead 40-15, then hit a forehand winner at the net on match point.

“Hunter had a really good forehand,” Widen said.

“If I ever hit a short ball, he would finish me off so quick.”

Blalack finished with eight winners and 24 unforced errors while Widen hit five winners and 37 unforced errors. Blalack said a lot of the errors were brought on by the wind.

“On one side it was really dominant,” he said.

“If you hit it pretty hard it would carry long. It was kind of (blowing) across (the court), so you couldn’t really go down the line on one side.”

Strickler handled the conditions well in the No. 1 singles match, but Bates, a three-time state singles champion, cruised to the straight-sets victory after a slow start.

“You can tell Glenn has been outside more, but it was very competitive,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said.

“Glenn’s a kid that will make you work and he did. He made Kellen work for it.”

While Flathead lost both of the top two boys’ singles matches, coach Sue Corrigan said she was pleased with the outcome.

“Now they’ve got a taste of what the competition’s like,” she said.

Glacier’s Danny Roe double-bageled Tristan Dills at No. 3 singles and Brad Jones defeated Carson Regoli, 6-3, 6-3.

Glacier’s top two doubles teams rolled to quick victories, with freshmen Spencer Johnson and Britt Walton winning 6-0, 6-0, and seniors Logan Iverson and Ryan Edwards winning 6-0, 6-1.

On the girls’ side, Glacier No. 1 Katya Kulikova, the defending state singles champion, overcame a fever to defeat Barrie Sugarman 6-3, 6-1 and Glacier’s Hailey Blalack rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ashli Petek at No. 2 singles.

Normally a doubles player, Glacier’s Ingrid Ericksen moved to No. 3 singles with her doubles partner absent and handily defeated Flathead’s Jenna Boles 6-2, 6-3. Boles broke Ericksen’s serve late in the second set, but Ericksen closed out the match with deep groundstrokes that kept Boles on her heels.

“Today in the wind I was just hitting things crosscourt,” Ericksen said.

“Making her run and then hitting it the other way and hitting things deep.”

Glacier’s Ali Lunquist won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles and Glacier’s top three doubles teams also won in straight sets.

Flathead’s No. 4 doubles team of Jenna McGuire and Camas Carlson managed to win the second set 7-5 against Glacier’s Olivia Malchi and Cayli Mower, but the Wolfpack duo closed out the match 9-7 in the tiebreaker.

Glacier’s boys and girls teams each improved to 4-0. Flathead’s boys fell to 3-1 and the girls dropped to 0-2-2.

Boys

Glacier 8, Flathead 0

Singles — Kellen Bates, G, def. Glenn Strickler, 6-4, 6-1; Hunter Blalack, G, def. Matt Widen, 6-2, 7-5; Danny Roe, G, def. Tristan Dills, 6-0, 6-0; Brad Jones, G, def. Carson Regoli, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles — Spencer Johnson/Britt Walton, G, def. Connor Roettig/Tyler Beagley, 6-0, 6-0; Logan Iverson/Ryan Edwards, G, def. Joey Swisher/Daniel Olzsewski, 6-0, 6-1; Greg Jones/Izaak Castren, G, def. Kody Butts/Eric West, 6-4, 6-3; Mitch Byrnes/Ryan Porch, G, def. Bridger Putnam/Wyatt McGillen, 6-2, 6-1.

Girls

Glacier 8, Flathead 0

Singles — Katya Kulikova, G, def. Barrie Sugarman, 6-3, 6-1; Hailey Blalack, G, def. Ashli Petek, 6-1, 6-0; Ingrid Ericksen, G, def. Jenna Boles, 6-2, 6-3; Ali Lundquist, G, def. Sarah Ward, 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles — Kailea Vaudt/Veronica Walton, G, def. Sarah Christiansonova/Dana Pfeifer, 6-1, 6-0; Kirstyn Haugenoe/Kali Mathison, G, def. Kenzie Williams/Sarah Seynei, 6-0, 6-2; Hannah Davis/Briahna Bennett, G, def. Katie Goodnough/Emily King, 6-3, 6-2; Olivia Malchi/Cayli Mower, G, def. Jenna McGuire/Camas Carlson, 7-6 (10), 5-7, 1-0 (9).