Lady Pirate tennis team takes divisional crown, boys are third

By Trent Makela/Leader Staff

The Polson High School girls' tennis team combined their usual doubles dominance with singles surprises to take the Western A divisional crown in Kalispell last weekend. Now the state tournament is coming to them. The girls' team finished with 55 team points to outdistance second-place Bigfork by a whopping 16 points. Now the Lady Pirates will face off against the best in Class A next week as Polson and Ronan host the state tournament on Thursday-Saturday.

"I thought we could win it, but we definitely didn't think it would be by that much," Polson coach Bob Hislop said. "We'd like to get a trophy [at state], and I say we have a chance to win it. I'd say we're one of the favorites to win it now with Havre and Livingston."

The Lady Pirates dominated the doubles bracket once again, making the finals an all-Polson affair as Malika Erickson and Cali Hislop defeated teammates Maddie Grebetz and Mattea York for the title 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Both teams qualified for the state tournament, as the top four singles players and doubles teams are taken.

Polson went ahead and qualified a third doubles squad for good measure as Kayla Ward and Cassie Rochin clawed their way to the consolation finals before falling to Bigfork's Quindee Averill and Roxy Thurman 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.

"Having that extra doubles team will be a big help to our state hopes," Hislop said. "So will sleeping in our own beds. We endured a lot when we went all they way to Miles City last year. It's nice to stay on this side of the state."

Polson did not qualify a singles player for state, but Jenni Reilly and Jane Probst both fell just one match short after advancing to the tourney's quarterfinals. Reilly eventually fell to Libby's Jackie Mee 6-2, 6-1 and Probst was stopped by Whitefish's Brielle Menegazzi 6-0, 6-2.

"I thought we could get eight or 10 points in singles and we ended up getting 16," Hislop said. "That took a lot of pressure off of our doubles players. All those [singles players] are underclassmen, and it was huge for them to do that."

The boys' team finished with 21 points to edge Columbia Falls for third place, but did not qualify a player for state.

Brothers Matt and Steven Roberts were the only Pirates to qualify for state, grabbing the final state-bound seed in the semifinals before falling to Whitefish's Matt Harris and Brendan Viscomi 6-0, 6-1. The pair fought through a tough match from Columbia Falls' Garcia and Hopkins 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals to secure a spot next week.

No. 1 singles player Karston Erickson streaked into the quarterfinals for Polson, but blinked first in losing a three-hour marathon match with Whitefish's Ian Hosek 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5).

"That match was so well played and so long it was definitely the reason Karston didn't get deeper into the tournament," Hislop said. "It also showed what we have in the next two years with him."

Western A divisional

Kalispell

BOYS

Team scores: Whitefish 79, Bigfork 33, Polson 21, Columbia Falls 18, Libby 9.

SINGLES

QUARTERFINALS - Ian Hosek, W, def. Karston Erickson, P, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5); Ryan Rottenbiller, W, def. Tyler Engebretson, P, 6-1, 6-1.

SECOND ROUND - Caimi, W, def. Shawn Medland, P, 6-0, 6-0; Erickson, P, def. Barrett, B, 6-1, 6-2; Engebretson, P, def. Ballard, CF, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2.

FIRST ROUND - Medland, P, def. May, L, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; T. Hosek, W, def. Giles, P, 6-4, 6-3; Engebretson, P, bye.

DOUBLES

SEMIFINALS - Harris/Viscomi, W, def. Roberts/Roberts, P, 6-0, 6-1.

QUARTERFINALS - Roberts/Roberts, P, def. Garcia/Hopkins, CF, 6-4, 6-3.

FIRST ROUND - Roberts/Roberts, P, def. Gembala/Jordt, B, 6-2, 6-0; Butts/Taylor, B, def. Cooper/Lipko, P, 6-2, 6-4; Whitehead/Deister, W, def. McCrumb/Hovenkotter, P, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

GIRLS

Team scores: Polson 55, Whitefish 39, Bigfork 34, Libby 31, Columbia Falls 11.

SINGLES

QUARTERFINALS - Jackie Mee, L, def. Jenni Reilly, P, 6-2, 6-1; Brielle Menegazzi, W, def. Jane Probst, P, 6-0, 6-2.

SECOND ROUND - Reilly, P, def. Freeman, CF, 6-0, 6-1; Klundt, W, def. K. Rochin, P, 7-5, 0-6, 6-2; Marcille, CF, def. Jones, P, 6-0, 6-1; Probst, P, def. Getts, CF, 6-2, 6-2.

FIRST ROUND - K. Rochin, P, def. Poppen, L, 6-1, 6-1; Jones, P, def. Kelsey, B; Reilly, P, bye; Probst, P, bye.

DOUBLES

CHAMPIONSHIP - Malika Erickson/Cali Hislop, P, def. Maddie Grebetz/Mattea York, P, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP - Quindee Averill/Roxy Thurman, B, def. Kayla Ward/Cassie Rochin, P, 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.

SEMIFINALS - Hislop/Erickson, P, def. Newman/Dinning, L, 6-2, 6-3; York/Grebetz, P, def. Averill/Thurman, B, 6-3, 6-4.

QUARTERFINALS - Hislop/Erickson, P, def. Wirth/Peterson, B, 6-2, 6-0; York/Grebetz, P, def. Lepper/Barrett, B, 6-1, 6-1; Averill/Thurman, B, def. Ward/Rochin, P, 6-2, 6-4.

FIRST ROUND - York/Grebetz, P, def. Miller/Reed, W, 6-2, 6-2; Ward/Rochin, P, def. Zwang/Valentine, L, 6-2, 6-2.