Wolfpack boys win 10th divisional tennis title
Glacier's Harrison Sanders, left, and Ethan Purdy celebrate after winning a set against C.M. Russell's Carter Corn and Noah Stimac in the boys' doubles final during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead doubles partners Marcella Mercer and Claire Morris tap rackets during a match with C.M. Russell's Ryann Walker and Olivia Martello during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Colette Daniels and Haven Speer chat during a break in their doubles match against C.M. Russell's Madison George and Becca Sherman during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Emma Hawkins hits a return in a singles consolation match against teammate Alexis Kersten during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Alexis Kersten hits a return in a singles consolation match against teammate Emma Hawkins during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Ethan Purdy hits a return in the boys' doubles final with teammate Harrison Sanders against C.M. Russell's Carter Corn and Noah Stimac during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Haven Speer hits a return in a girls' doubles match with teammate Colette Daniels against C.M. Russell's Madison George and Becca Sherman during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Harrison Sanders hits a return in the boys' doubles final with teammate Ethan Purdy against C.M. Russell's Carter Corn and Noah Stimac during the Northern AA Divisional Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Glacier boys tennis team won its 10th consecutive divisional title at the Northern AA tournament, under cloudy skies and cool temperatures Friday at FVCC.
The Wolfpack won with 38 points, edging C.M. Russell by one point. Flathead was third with 26 and Great Falls High had 11 points.
Glacier’s Rory Smith won his third Northern AA boys’ singles title, defeating Flathead’s Nolan White in the championship match and providing a preview of a potential state tournament final.
“I would not be shocked if that’s the state final,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said. “Nolan’s a heck of a player and I think that they could be against each other. Rory’s a great player right now and it’s going to be hard for anybody to beat him. He’s got experience, he’s got patience and he knows how to play these kinds of matches.”
Glacier’s Harrison Sanders and Ethan Purdy beat CMR’s Carter Corn and Noah Stimac to win their first boys doubles title.
“They just came out and played really well today,” Munro said. “They got a quick start in that final and kind of rode it through that first set. Got a little bit of a slow start in the second set, but then really put it together and just played with determination and they wanted it more is what it kinda came down to.”
Flathead is sending six girls to state, including singles players Emma Hawkins and Avery Cherot. Hawkins placed third by beating teammate Cherot.
Alexis Kersten was one point from making it to the final, taking CMR’S Hannah Bingham to three sets before losing 7-6(6) in the final frame. That match went on for three hours and was so exhausting for Kersten that she had trouble getting through her consolation round match against teammate Hawkins later in the day. She didn’t qualify for state, but Flathead coach Jimmy Cripe was pleased regardless.
“It was probably the match of the tournament,” Cripe said of Kersten’s semifinal. “It couldn’t have been any closer. And as a sophomore to do that was pretty impressive.”
Besides White, two other Flathead boys are qualified for state — the doubles pair of Tommy Wells and Drew Lowry.
“We surely would’ve liked more but it was a tough tournament,” Cripe said. “CMR was very good and the Glacier boys were very good.”
A sophomore and a freshman who both picked up a racket for the first time this year, the doubles pair of Haven Speer and Colette Daniels, were another of state qualifiers for Glacier.
“They really came out with determination this week,” Munro said. “They’ve been battling and losing a lot of three-setters all season, but they’d been going to three sets with everybody. They’ve been getting better every week.”
Jake Keller placed fourth after an arduous three-set battle with top-seeded Jacob Murray of CMR but was forced to retire his third-place match for medical reasons.
“He comes out and beats Great Falls High’s number one player, and upsets in a tiebreaker,” Munro said. “And the third set, he stretched it as far as he could, was limping around out there and had some cramping and still fought through. That’s a heck of a battle. That was a big match.”
CMR won the girls divisional title with 46 points, nine points head of second-place Flathead, who scored 35. Glacier was third with 19 and Great Falls High, at 12 points, was fourth.
The State AA tournament will be held May 27-28 in Great Falls.
Northern AA Divisional tennis
GIRLS
Team scores — C.M. Russell 46, Flathead 35, Glacier 19, Great Falls High 12.
Singles
Final
Ruby Jennings (CMR) d. Hannah Bingham (CMR) 6-2, 6-4.
Semifinal
Hannah Bingham (CMR) d. Alexis Kersten (FHS) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6). Ruby Jennings (CMR) d. Kelly Jones (GFHS) 6-4, 6-0.
Consolation round 2
Sarah Downs (GHS) d. Mariah Dickey (GHS) 7-5, 6-4. Avery Cherot (FHS) d. Bayley Keele (GFHS) 6-0, 6-0. Mayson Moore (FHS) d. Mackenzie Baker (GHS) 6-1, 6-0. Emma Hawkins (FHS) d. Kiera Richards (CMR) 6-0, 6-0.
Consolation round 3
Emma Hawkins (FHS) d. Mayson Moore (FHS) 6-2, 6-1. Avery Cherot (FHS) d. Sarah Downs (GHS) 8-10, 6-1, 6-1.
Consolation round 4
Avery Cherot, (FHS) d. Kelly Jones (GFHS) 6-0, 6-2. Emma Hawkins (FHS) d. Alexis Kersten (FHS) 6-2, 6-1.
3rd place
Emma Hawkins (FHS) d. Avery Cherot (FHS) 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles
Final
Madison George/Becca Sherman (CMR) d. Colette Daniels/Haven Speer (GHS) 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Semifinal
Colette Daniels/Haven Speer (GHS) d. Marcella Mercer/Claire Morris (FHS) 6-2, 6-0, 6-0. Madison George/Becca Sherman (CMR) d. Baylee Furthmyre/Alison Harris (GFHS) 6-3, 6-3.
Consolation round 1
Katy Bitney/Tori Dobis (GHS) d. Meredith Semenza/Maddie O’Leary (GFHS) 6-0, 6-4. Kami Darrow/Clare Converse (FHS) d. Madi Bartlett/Rachel Jutzi (GHS) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Madison Johnson/Nicole Mitchell (GHS) d. Marit Felton/Peyton Walseth (FHS) 7-5, 6-4.
Consolation round 2
Katy Bitney/Tori Dobis (GHS) d. Mackenzie Tuss/Parker Humble (CMR) 6-2, 6-4. Bridget Crowley/Patricia Hinchey (FHS) d. Skye Krum/Leslie Miller (CMR) 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1. Kami Darrow/Clare Converse (FHS) d. Mackenzie Thurston/Emma Tolan (GFHS) 6-3, 6-4. Ryann Walker/Olivia Martello (CMR) d. Madison Johnson/Nicole Mitchell (GHS) 6-3, 6-1.
Consolation round 3
Bridget Crowley/Patricia Hinchey (FHS) d. Katy Bitney/Tori Dobis (GHS) 6-2, 7-5. Ryann Walker/Olivia Martello (CMR) d. Mackenzie Thurston/Emma Tolan (GFHS) 6-4, 6-4.
Consolation round 4
Bridget Crowley/Patricia Hinchey (FHS) d. Baylee Furthmyre/Alison Harris (GFHS) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Marcella Mercer/Claire Morris (FHS) d. Ryann Walker/Olivia Martello 6-3, 6-0.
3rd place
Marcella Mercer/Claire Morris (FHS) d. Bridget Crowley/Patricia Hinchey (FHS) 6-3, 6-3.
BOYS
Team scores — Glacier 38, C.M. Russell 37, Flathead 26, Great Falls High School 11.
Singles
Final
Rory Smith (GHS) d. Nolan White (FHS) 6-0, 6-0.
Semifinal
Rory Smith (GHS) d. Carson Rich (CMR) 6-0, 6-0. Nolan White (FHS) d. Jacob Murray (GFHS) 6-0, 6-1.
Consolation round 2
Kade Haverlandt (CMR) d. Landon Molen (GFHS) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Jake Keller (GHS) d. Ezra Epperly (FHS) 6-1, 6-1. Clay Walker (CMR) d. Evan Sevaly (FHS) 6-1, 6-1. Mac Bruce (CMR) d. Will Rudbach (GHS) 6-4, 6-2.
Consolation round 3
Jake Keller (GHS) d. Kade Haverlandt (CMR) 6-2, 6-0. Mac Bruce (CMR) d. Clay Walker (CMR) 6-2, 7-5.
Consolation round 4
Jake Keller (GHS) d. Jacob Murray (GFHS) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6. Carson Rich (CMR) d. Mac Bruce (CMR) 6-2, 6-2.
3rd place
Carson Rich (CMR) d. Jake Keller (GHS) 4-4, medical default.
Doubles
Final
Ethan Purdy/Harrison Sanders (GHS) d. Carter Corn/Noah Stimac (CMR) 6-2, 6-3.
Semifinal
Carter Corn/Noah Stimac (CMR) d. Ethan Vandenbosch/Kutuk White (FHS) 6-3, 7-5. Ethan Purdy/Harrison Sanders (GHS) d. Alex Galloway/Trey Engellant (GHS) 6-4, 6-0.
Consolation round 2
Kevin Gemberling/Ethan Kunka (GFHS) d. Beau Desmul/Dylan Rehbein (FHS) 7-5, 6-2. Jackson McCoy/Josh Stimac (CMR) d. Timmy Glanville/Ethan Woods (GHS) 6-1, 6-3. Colton Martello/Brady Corn (CMR) d. Brayden Davis/Aedan Bingham (CMR) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3). Tommy Wells/Drew Lowry (FHS) d. Gavin Groshelle/Judah McAdam (GFHS) 6-0, 6-1.
Consolation round 3
Tommy Wells/Drew Lowry (FHS) d. Colton Martello/Brady Corn (CMR) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Jackson McCoy/Josh Stimac (CMR) d. Kevin Gemberling/Ethan Kunka (GFHS) 7-5, 6-2.
Consolation round 4
Tommy Wells/Drew Lowry (FHS) d. Ethan Vandenbosch/Kutuk White (FHS) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). Jackson McCoy/Josh Stimac (CMR) d. Alex Galloway/Trey Engellant (GHS) 7-6, 7-6.
Third place
Tommy Wells/Drew Lowry (FHS) d. Jackson McCoy/Josh Stimac (CMR) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
