Polson girls keep rolling

LIBBY — The Lady Pirates kept their run alive with a solid win over Libby this past Thursday.

Sweeping through the doubles competition, all three Lady Pirate pairs mustered enough consistency and chemistry to earn big wins on the road.

At the No. 1 spot, sisters Kayla, a junior, and sophomore Kendyall Rochin, had a slow start, but still took their match in two sets, Polson head coach Bob Hislop said. Libby’s Anna Valentine and Nichole Newman put up a fight in both sets, but couldn’t match the related duo. The Rochins took it 6-4, 6-2.

Flawless  might be the best way to describe the Polson performance at the girls’ No. 2 and 3 doubles slots.

It was a shutout. Polson juniors Jenni Reilley and Lexi Cline zeroed their opponents with dual 6-0 sets in the middle bracket and teammates Heather Mathison and Kelsie Jones did the same in the No. 3 matchup.

Mathison and Jones still haven’t lost a match together.

Reilley and Cline, on the other hand, had never shared one side of the court in competition.

Hislop called it a “very good result for their first ever match together.”

Results don’t get much better than 6-0, 6-0, after all.

While the doubles hitters were making life hard on the Logger pairs, the singles courts saw some very close play.

At the No. 1 spot, usual Libby star Jackie Mee took the match from Polson junior Jane Probst.

But at the No. 4 spot, it was Polson’s Danielle Kinyon who won by a landslide, putting it to Libby’s Chelsey Oedenwaldt 6-0, 6-2.

The steep win impressed Hislop, because it showed tremendous improvement from the week before.

“These two had played the previous Saturday in a very close match and this time Danielle dominated from start to finish,” Hislop said.

“It was probably one of the best matches she ever played.”

It was the type of change that has helped keep Polson a head above the competition as everyone gets more matches under their belts.

Polson senior Sara Keeble kept things interesting at the No. 3 position but couldn’t quite finish the talented Libby netter.

After falling behind one 6-1 set, Keeble sharpened her game to surprise Lehn by the same score in the second. The third set was a battle - both athletes finding the open court for points - but when everything came to a close it was game, set, match for Lehn, by two sets to Keeble’s one. The score of the final set was 6-3.

At the No. 2 spot, perseverance paid off for Polson junior Kelsie Howell. Howell fell behind early, losing the first set.

She had a long way to go, but finished with what Hislop called “A great win.”

Two sets in a row she took to the offensive, and won the mental battle. She also won on the score sheet and thoroughly, 6-2 in both critical sets.

“She had to figure out some strategic things against a very crafty player and when she did, she ran away with the match,” Hislop said.

The 5-2 win was another convincing stair-step on the road toward the playoffs for a team that keeps winning the tough ones.

Polson played at Columbia Falls on Tuesday and plays in the Cutbank invite tourney this coming Friday and Saturday.

Polson 5

Libby 2

Singles

Jackie Mee def. Jane Probst 6-06-1

Kelsie Howell def. Audra Poppen 2-6 6-2 6-2

Lindsay Kehn def. Sara Keeble 6-1 1-6 6-3

Danielle Kinyon def. Chelsey Oedenwaldt 6-0 6-2

Doubles

Kayla Rochin and Kendyall Rochin def. Anna Valentine/Nichole Newman 6-4 6-2

Jenni Reilley/Lexi cline P  def. Ashley Shaw/Tawnya Cooper 6-0 6-0 

Heather Mathison/Kelsie Jones def. Chelsey Ahart/Alissa Buti 6-0 6-0