NWA tennis: Polson, Whitefish in charge after first day
Polson and Whitefish closed the first day of the Northwestern A divisonal tennis tournament with a chance for each its boys and girls teams to claim a divisional title as the top seeds in singles and doubles rolled into the semifinals at Flathead Valley Community College on Thursday.
The Pirates, who have dominated the tournament the last few years, are seeing the closest pressure on the boys side, where Whitefish trails by two points entering the second day with a field of contenders still in the mix.
Polson’s Brady Hislop, the top-seeded boys singles player, breezed through his first two matches unscathed, winning each 6-0, 6-0.
“I was just trying to take care of business the best I could on the first day and get ready for tomorrow,” Hislop said.
The wins set up a match with Whitefish’s Chaffin Ross to open play tomorrow. The Bulldogs’ Holden Roberts and Columbia Falls’ Gavin Thelen advanced to the other semifinal.
“When it comes to divisional week, I try to buckle down and go as hard as I can that week,” Hislop said. “No matter who I’m going to play, I’m always going up there expecting to get a good match. I put my best effort, best foot forward every time I play.
“I have a good Whitefish opponent in the morning. Possibly another one if I can win that one. I’m just going to try to play my game and try to get a couple victories tomorrow.”
While the Whitefish boys took advantage in singles, Polson worked the doubles courts. The Pirates teams of Dylan McCrumb and Layne Zimmerman and Tyler Dupuis and Tommy Mercer cruised to the semifinals, losing a combined two games. Libby’s Jason Schnackenberg and Cody Wood won in straight sets and Columbia Falls’ Mason Gedlaman and Caleb Baumann won a three-set match to advance.
Polson’s girls look closer to pulling away, with a pair of semifinalists in both singles and doubles remaining. The Pirates’ Shannon Oakley will take on Shawna Oakley in a singles semifinals, guaranteeing at least one Polson girl in the final. Shawna Oakley upset Whitefish’s Simone Craft 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals to advance.
Top-seeded girls singles player Emily Getts of Columbia Falls won each of her first two matches 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals. Whitefish’s Sloan Ellis beat Polson’s Lauren Dupuis 6-3, 6-1 to play Getts in the semis.
Polson doubles pairings Mollybeth Hendrix and Taylor Rost and Karly Rochin and Marlee Congdon are in the semifinals to play Whitefish combos McKenzie Wick and Anna Peterson and Caroline Carbo and Heather Luedke.
Tournament play concludes today.
Northwestern A
Divisional Tennis Tournament
Thursday
Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell
BOYS
Team Scores — Polson 21, Whitefish 19, Columbia Falls 10, Libby 9.
Singles
Championship bracket
First round
Brady Hislop, P, def. Kody Bailey, L, 6-0, 6-0; Grant Wallace, CF, def. Jack Brandt, WF, 7-6 (8-6), 0-6, 6-1; Chaffin Ross, WF, def. Cooper Wendt, CF, 6-2, 6-1; Colin Kenney, P, def. Jason Brant, L, 6-2, 6-3; Gavin Thelen, CF, def. Austin Reese, WF, 7-5, 6-3; Quaid Harlan, P, def. Adam Kirschenmann, L, 6-1, 6-1; Thomas Crosby, P, def. Colin Maloney, L, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; Holden Roberts, WF, def. Brock Denny, CF, 6-1, 6-0.
Quarterfinals
Hislop def. Wallace, 6-0, 6-0; Ross def. Kenney, 6-2, 7-6; Thelen def. Harlan, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1; Roberts def. Crosby, 6-1, 6-1.
Consolation bracket
First round
Brandt def. Bailey, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1); Brant def. Wendt, 6-2, 6-4; Reese def. Kirschenmann, 6-3, 6-3; Maloney def. Denny, 6-4, 6-2.
Second round
Brandt def. Crosby, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Harlan def. Brant, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5; Reese v. Kenney, n/a; Maloney def. Wallace, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles
Championship bracket
First Round
Ryan Nagle/Gabe Peck, L, def. Evan Wells/Thanakorn Naunphong, CF, 6-2, 6-1; Logan Blades/Nathan Fauth, WF, def. Rayson Arnold/Raymond Sadewasser, L, 6-0, 6-1; Bailey Jack/Tommy Murphy, WF, def. Cadis Chowning/Tim Russell, P, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0; Ryan Brown/Ethan Potthoff, WF, def. Jayden Wirkus/Trevor Wick, CF, 6-3, 6-1.
Quarterfinals
Dylan McCrumb/Layne Zimmerman, P, def. Nagle/Peck, 6-0, 6-0; Mason Gedlaman/Caleb Baumann, CF, def. Blades/Fauth, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3; Jason Schnackenberg/Cody Wood, L, def. Jack/Murphy, 6-1, 6-4; Tyler Dupuis/Tommy Mercer, P, def. Brown/Potthoff, 6-2, 6-0.
Consolation bracket
First round
Brown/Potthoff def. Wells/Naunphong, 6-1, 6-0; Jack/Murphy def. Arnold/Sadewasser, 6-0, 6-0; Blades/Fauth def. Chowning/Russell, 6-1, 6-0; Wirkus/Wick v. Nagle/Peck, incomplete (darkness).
GIRLS
Team Scores — Polson 25, Whitefish 19, Columbia Falls 8, Libby 8.
Singles
Championship bracket
First round
Emily Getts, CF, def. Keara Delaney, WF, 6-1, 6-1; Kaylene Hudson, L, def. Cassie Carlyle, P, 6-4, 6-3; Lauren Dupuis, P, def. Sarah McBride, L, 6-0, 6-3; Sloan Ellis, WF, def. Molly Schmit, CF, 6-2, 6-2; Simone Craft, WF, def. Katie Alspaw, L, 6-0, 6-0; Shawna Oakley, P, def. Hailey Sapa, CF, 6-1, 6-2; Katie Fyall, WF, def. Melanie Thomas, L, 6-2, 6-1; Shannon Oakley, P, def. Kaylee Flanigan, CF, 6-4, 6-0.
Quarterfinals
Getts def. Carlyle, 6-1, 6-1; Ellis def. Dupuis, 6-3, 6-1; Shawna Oakley def. Craft, 7-5, 6-4; Shannon Oakley def. Fyall, 6-4, 6-4.
Consolation bracket
First round
Hudson def. Delaney, 6-0, 6-1; McBride def. Schmit, n/a; Sapa def. Alspaw, 6-1, 6-1; Flanigan def. Thomas, 7-5, 6-3.
Second round
Fyall def. Hudson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Craft def. McBride, 6-3, 6-3; Dupuis def. Sapa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Carlyle def. Flanigan, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles
Championship bracket
First round
Dani Hawthorne/Cloie Boardner, L, def. Cassidy Grady/Annika Gordon, WF, 6-1, 6-7 (7-1), 6-4; McKenzie Wick/Anna Peterson, WF, def. Ally Buckner/Shae Munro, L, 7-6 (7-0), 6-0; Jenna Barrick/McKenzie Cosgriff, L, def. Natalie Ward/Tarah Hoyt, CF, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; Shawna Lenz/Mollie Lemm, P, def. Samantha Gilk/Shelby Anderson, CF, 6-1, 6-1.
Quarterfinals
Mollybeth Hendrix/Taylor Rost, P, def. Hawthorne/Boardner, 6-1, 6-1; Wick/Peterson def. Baylee Brinton/Elizabeth Jackson, CF, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4; Karly Rochin/Marlee Condon, P, def. Barrick/Cosgriff, 6-3, 6-1; Caroline Carbo/Heather Luedke, WF, def. Lenz/Lemm, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Consolation bracket
First round
Lenz/Lemm v. Grady/Gordon, n/a; Barrick/Cosgrove def. Buckner/Munro, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4; Brinton/Jackson v. Ward/Hoyt, n/a; Hawthorne/Boardner def. Gilk/Anderson, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.