Big net day for Polson at Northwestern A divisional
<p>Sloan Ellis of Whitefish returns a shot during singles play at the Northwestern A divisional tennis tournament on Friday at The Summit. Ellis finished third.</p>
<p>Layne Zimmerman of Polson makes a return during doubles semifinal action at the Northwestern A divisional tennis tournament on Friday at Flathead Valley Community College. Zimmerman and Dylan McCrumb went on to win the title. </p>
The final day of conference play didn’t come easy for Columbia Falls sophomore Emily Getts. The top-seeded girls singles player at the Northwestern A divisional tennis meet at The Summit and Flathead Valley Community College, she swept through regular season conference play without a sweat. Friday’s final two rounds, though, were much tougher.
Getts, playing against Whitefish’s Sloan Ellis in the semifinals, dropped the first set 3-6, struggling to get a rhythm in the match. It was the first set she’d lost in conference this season, and the first time she’d been down a set in months.
“I just had a really rough first set,” Getts said. “It was definitely a mental game to try and get myself back up from being down a set. But, I pulled through.”
Getts rallied to win the second set 6-4 and the third 6-1 to advance to the finals. There, she beat Polson’s Shawna Oakley 6-1, 6-3 in a game that was closer than its final score indicated.
“We fought for every point and went to deuce many times,” Getts said. “I just happened to come out on top more than she did.”
The win earned Getts her first divisional championship after a runner-up performance last season.
Her win was an outlier on a day that was dominated by Polson netters.
Pirates senior Brady Hislop finished out his strong weekend with a clean sweep in boys singles, winning every match 6-0, 6-0. The top seed entering the tournament, Hislop took little time to win his second divisional championship, and his first since his sophomore year after a second place finish last season.
Polson’s top doubles teams also rolled. Dylan McCrumb and Layne Zimmerman cruised in each of their two matches on the final day, despite inclement weather pausing momentum in play.
“It took us a little bit to get started in the morning, but after the rain delay we put it together and got it done in both matches,” Zimmerman said.
McCrumb, the singles champion from last season, won a title for his second straight season.
The top Polson girls doubles team of Mollybeth Hendrix and Taylor Rost beat Pirates teammates Karly Rochin and Marlee Congdon in the final to win the championship.
Polson ran away with the team titles, the girls winning their eighth straight divisional and the boys their third straight.
The top four finishers in singles and doubles advanced to the state tournament, held May 22-23 in Billings.
Other qualifiers were Polson’s Quaid Harlan, Whitefish’s Holden Roberts and Columbia Falls’ Gavin Thelen in boys singles; Polson’s Shawna and Shannon Oakley and Whitefish’s Sloan Ellis in girls singles; Libby’s Jason Schankenberg and Cody Wood, Whitefish’s Logan Blades and Nathan Fauth and Columbia Falls’ Mason Gedlaman and Caleb Baumann in boys doubles; and Whitefish’s Caroline Carbo, Heather Luedke, McKenzie Wick and Anna Peterson in girls doubles.
BOYS
Team Scores — Polson 47, Whitefish 35, Columbia Falls 20, Libby 19.
Singles
Championship Bracket
Semifinals
Brady Hislop, P, def. Chaffin Ross, WF, 6-0, 6-0; Holden Roberts, WF, def. Gavin Thelen, CF, 6-0, 7-5.
Finals
Hislop def. Roberts, 6-0, 6-0.
Consolation Bracket
Third round
Quaid Harlan, P, def. Thomas Crosby, P, 6-1, 6-1; Colin Maloney, P, def. Colin Kenney, P, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
Semifinals
Harlan def. Ross, 6-3, 7-5; Thelen def. Maloney, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
Third place
Thelen def. Harlan, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8).
Doubles
Championship Bracket
Semifinals
Dylan McCrumb/Layne Zimmerman, P, def. Mason Gedlaman/Caleb Baumann, CF, 6-2, 6-1; Jason Schnackenberg/Cody Wood, L, def. Tyler Dupuis/Tommy Mercer, 6-4, 6-4.
Finals
McCrumb/Zimmerman def. Schnackenberg/Cody Wood, 6-2, 6-3.
Consolation Bracket
Second Round
Tommy Murphy/Bailey Jack, WF, def. Brown/Potthoff, WF, 6-3, 6-0; Tanner Blades/Nathan Fauth, WF, def. Wirkus/Wick, CF, 6-0, 6-0.
Semifinals
Gedlaman/Baumann def. Murphy/Jack, 6-4, 6-2; Blades/Fauth def. Dupuis/Mercer, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Third Place
Blades/Fauth def. Gedlaman/Baumann, 6-4, 6-0.
GIRLS
Team Scores — Polson 60, Whitefish 32, Columbia Falls 21, Libby 9.
Singles
Championship Bracket
Semifinals
Emily Getts, CF, def. Sloan Ellis, WF, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; Shawna Oakley, P, def. Shannon Oakley, P, 6-2, 6-3.
Finals
Getts def. Shawna Oakley, 6-1, 6-3.
Consolation Bracket
Third Round
Katie Fyall, WF, def. Simone Craft, WF, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1; Lauren Dupuis, P, def. Cassie Carlyle, P, 6-4, 7-5.
Semifinals
Ellis def. Fyall, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Shannon Oakley def. Dupuis, 6-2, 6-3.
Third Place
Ellis def. Shannon Oakley, 6-2, 6-4.
Doubles
Championship Bracket
Semifinals
Mollybeth Hendrix/Taylor Rost, P, def. McKenzie Wick/Anna Peterson, WF, 6-1, 6-4; Karly Rochin/Marlee Congdon, P, def. Caroline Carbo/Heather Luedke, WF, 6-3, 7-5.
Finals
Hendrix/Rost def. Rochin/Congdon, 6-3, 3-3 (inj. def.)
Consolation Bracket
Second Round
Lenz/Lemm, P, def. Barrick Cosgriff, L, 6-1, 6-3; Brinton/Jackson, CF, def. Hawthorne/Boardner, L, 6-1, 7-5.
Semifinals
Wick/Peterson def. Lenz/Lemm, 6-1, 6-4; Carbo/Luedke def. Brinton/Jackson, 6-3, 6-3.
Third Place
Carbo/Luedke def. Wick/Peterson, 6-2, 6-3.
Late Thursday
Austin Reese, WF, def. Colin Kenney, P, 6-2, 6-0; Sarah McBride, L, def. Molly Schmit, CF, 6-3, 6-4; Shawna Lenz/Mollie Lemm, P, def. Cassidy Grady/Annika Gordon, WF, 6-2, 6-0; Baylee Brinton/Elizabeth Jackson, CF, def. Natalie Ward/Tarah Hoyt, CF, 6-0, 6-1.