Fresh faces all around for Flathead, Glacier tennis

Rain, rain go away, the tennis teams want to play. 

Thats the sentiment as Flathead and Glacier prepare to host Missoula Sentinel and Hellgate on Friday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to open the home slate of matches at FVCC. 

“This week has been really hard,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said Wednesday. “We have been able to move indoors a few times and play on just one or two courts.” 

The limited space makes it hard for Munro to figure out lineups as the early season matches begin. Then mix in a nearly brand-new roster after 26 players graduated a year ago and the Wolfpack have a lot of questions to answer. 

“Hoping for better weather as we get going,” Munro said. “It's going to be a fun year to see how this team grows.” 

The new faces in the team aren’t all underclassmen on the boys side as Munro noted a trio of seniors who joined the team for the first time this spring, namely: Brayden Jenkinson, Creed Norick and Aiden Lamb. 

“Those guys are really stepping up,” Munro said. “Learning the sport through the offseason and becoming pretty solid.” 

Norick and Jenkinson come over from the soccer team thanks to the recruiting help of Gavin Rodriguez, who steps into the No. 2 singles spot at the start of the season. 

Norick jumps straight into the top singles spot for Friday’s matches. 

While there is a lot of new for the Wolfpack boys, the No. 1 doubles pairing features a pair of returners: Sam Engellant and Carl Bitney. 

Engellant took second at state in 2024 with partner Will Rudbach — who graduated — while Bitney comes off a state appearance with partner Dalyn Mathison. Mathison also returns for the Wolfpack in 2025. 

The Wolfpack girls see just as much turnover, if not more. 

Gone are the top doubles team from last year in Haven Speer and Sarah Downs, though the lone singles representative at State, Leilani Lennarz, returns for her sophomore campaign. 

Also missing from the courts is the Wolfpack’s other state doubles team from 2024 — Cassidy and Cadence Daniels — who both suffered an ACL tear during the basketball season. They will be with the team as managers this season. 

Miley Fritz and Claire Ennis stand in as the top doubles pairing at the start of the season. 

Munro also noted a pair of freshmen who stood out early in practice: Autumn Bashara and Reid Sanders. 

Elsewhere for the Wolfpack girls the situation is fluid, Munro says he has 19 girls competing for the 12 varsity spots and is looking for who will step up as the season progresses. 

Flathead 

Meanwhile, on the southside of town, Flathead sees some changes in the coaching staff for 2025. 

Travis Cattron moves back into an assistant role and Kaitlyn Schelbert takes the reins as head coach. Also joining the staff in an assistant role is Colin Kenney. 

Despite the rainy week, Schelbert says the team has had decent luck with practicing outside. 

The Braves have a pair of promising returners in Holden Askvig and Rowan Alexander, though whether they will be playing singles or doubles is still up in the air. 

“We have a lot of young freshman boys who are new to the sport and holding their own and we are excited to have them,” Schelbert said.  

Senior Andrew Johnson is another new face who impressed Schelbert early. 

“It’s his first year and he picked up the sport quick,” Schelbert said. 

The Bravettes feature a strong returning trio that all expect to feature in singles. 

Elle Westover, who spent most of 2024 as the No. 1 singles player, comes back to lead the squad. 

Azalea Bailey, who Schelbert notes improved her game through the offseason sits at the second spot and Sarah Loran makes a strong singles rotation. 

On the doubles side, Natalie Haag and Graci White step up from the No. 2 spot a year ago to the top spot at the start of 2025. 

“They have played together a lot and are really good friends,” Schelbert said. 

Elsewhere, a lot of the Bravettes are newer to the sport with just a year or two of experience. Expect some different rotations as the season moves along. 

    Flathead's Elle Westover reaches for a return against Glacier's Leilani Lennarz in a girls singles match at Flathead Valley Community College on Thursday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider