Tennis: Flathead sends four to state
<p>Flathead's Jenna Jensen smashes a return in her Northern AA semifinal match against Lucia Barbeito at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Flathead's Elle Barreth charges the net in a 2015 Northern AA semifinal match against Great Falls' Abiagail Davidson at Flathead Valley Communtiy College.</p>
In a battle of top two seeds, seniors Abigail Davidson of Great Falls High and Flathead’s Jenna Jensen did not disappoint.
They delivered long rallies, close games and pivotal points in an entertaining championship match that dragged on for nearly two hours as a late Friday afternoon stretched into an early evening at the Northern AA Divisional tennis tournament at Flathead Valley Community College.
Jensen rallied to win the final four games to take the first set.
Jensen continued with her strong play by serving and taking the first game in the second set before Davidson stormed back. She closed it out with five-straight games to take that one.
Then it was on to the decisive third set.
After a back and fourth tussle, tied at 4-4, Davidson capitalized on her steady play to win the final two games, and the match, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
“It was long. A marathon,” Davidson said.
“That’s usually how it goes.”
Davidson, a divisional runner-up last year and a third-place finisher the year before that, regrouped after stumbling in the late going of the first set.
“I told myself to be more aggressive,” she said.
“To focus on one point at a time.”
Jensen did not sway from her aggressive style of play. She had the advantage with her powerful returns and moved Davidson around the court. However some of those shots found the net or were barely out of bounds. The missed opportunities were frustrating and emotionally challenging at times.
“It’s a mind game,” she said.
“I had to keep going. Every shot is a new shot.
“I had to stay aggressive,” she continued.
“I had to keep pushing myself.”
She did just that. But this time, she came up a few shots, and points, short of of a title.
Davidson and Jensen will now advance to state as the 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, from the divisional. State tournament play in Helena is set for May 14-15.
Neither girl has placed at state before.
This will be Davidson’s fourth state trip. It’s the first for Jensen.
The top four singles players and doubles teams from all divisionals advance to state.
Flathead will have four competing in Helena. Also moving on are Ellie Berreth, who finished third in singles, and Tristan Dills and Daniel Olszewski, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in boys singles.
Last year Flathead qualified just one player for state.
Jensen, who has shown great promise on the court, is competing in tennis for just the second season. Last year she specialized in doubles.
“I didn’t expect to be there,” she said of the divisional final.
“But I wanted to work hard (this season) to be there.”
She had a first-round bye on Thursday and later that day defeated Noel Senner of Flathead in the quarterfinals 6-1, 6-1.
On Friday, Jensen defeated Lucia Barbeito of C.M. Russell in the semifinals 6-4, 6-1.
Davidson defeated Berreth in the other semifinal 7-5, 6-2.
Berreth later battled back in the consolation round and rolled by Barbeito in the third/fourth-place match 6-2, 6-1.
Dills beat Olszewski in their consolation final 8-4.
Miggy San Pedro stopped Eric Abarr in an all-Great Falls High boys singles final 6-3, 6-1.
Boys
Team Scores
Great Falls High 48, Flathead 26, C.M. Russell 17
Singles
Semifinals
Miggy San Pedro, GFH, def. Daniel Olszewski, FHS, 6-2, 6-1; Eric Abarr, GFH, def. Tristan Dills, FHS, 6-4, 6-0.
Championship
San Pedro def. Abarr, 6-3, 6-1.
Consolation
Leonard Ormseth, CMR, def. Blade Massey, GFH, 7-5, 6-6 (7-6).
Quarterfinals
Andrew Davidson, GFH, def. Kody Butts, FHS, 6-3, 7-6 (NA); Ormseth def. Ridge Lembke, FHS, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Semifinals
Dills def. Davidson,6-2, 6-1; Olszewski def. Ormseth, 6-6 (7-2), 6-2.
Third/Fourth
Dills def. Olszewski, 8-4.
Doubles
Semifinals
Johnson/Lunn, GFH, def. Johnstone/Wyman, GFH, 6-1, 6-1; Bernhart/Korb, CMR, def. Dabler/Perry, GFH, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.
Championship
Johnson/Lunn def. Bernhart/Korb, 6-0, 6-0.
Consolation
DeBoo/Munns, CMR, def. Bhattacharya/Naglich, FHS, 7-5, 6-4; Moorhouse/Huffman-Woods, GFH, def. Keenan/Giuseppe, FHS, 6-4, 6-7 (NA),6-2; Welk/Salazar, FHS, def. Funseth/Patrick, CMR, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Quarterfinals
DeBoo/Munns def. West/Flannigan, FHS, 6-2, 5-7, 10-1; Moorhouse/Huffman-Woods def. Welk/Salazar, 6-0, 6-1.
Semifinals
Dabler/Perry def. DeBoo/Munns, 6-3, 6-4; Johnstone/Wyman def. Moorhouse/Huffman-Woods, 6-4, 6-4.
Third/Fourth
Boston/Wyman def. Dabler/Perry, 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.
Girls
Team Scores
Great Falls High 38, C.M. Russell 37, Flathead 25
Singles
Semifinals
Abigail Davidson, GFH, def. Ellie Berreth, FHS, 7-5, 6-2; Jenna Jensen, FHS, def. Lucia Barbeito, CMR, 6-4, 6-1.
Championship
Davidson def. Jensen, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Consolation
Annie Lewis, CMR, def. Quincey Borggard, CMR, def. 6-4, 6-3; Elea Roberts, CMR, def. Anna Johnson, GFH, 6-4, 6-3.
Semifinals
Barbeito def. Lewis, 6-1, 6-1; Berreth def. Roberts,6-0, 6-2.
Third/Fourth
Berreth def. Barbeito, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles
Semifinals
Martinez/George, CMR, def. Pyette/Campbell, CMR, 6-1, 6-0; Madson/Murphy, GFH, def. Dart/Roady, GFH, 6-4, 6-0.
Championship
Martinez/George def. Madson/Murphy, 6-0, 6-0.
Consolation
Kujala/Runkel, CMR, def. Phuttipaitoon/Darrow, FHS, 6-6 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4.
Next Round
Thurston/Willis, GFH, def. Treece/Stone, FHS, 7-5, 6-0; Fellows/Fellows, GFH, def. Kujala/Runkel, 4-6 6-3, 10-3.
Semifinals
Dart/Roady def. Thurston/Willis, 6-4, 6-2; Pyette/Campbell def. Fellows/Fellows, 6-4, 6-4.
Third/Fourth
Pyette/Campbell def. Dart/Roady, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).