Ronan tennis' top hitter returns

WHITEFISH — The Ronan tennis teams went into battle against Whitefish and Bigfork with a short roster. They didn’t come out with any team wins,  but they were armed for the first time this season with senior Brit Courville, and she didn’t let them down. 

The Maidens had only seven players, but still were just topped by Whitefish 4-3. Courville took her match in two sets, downing top Whitefish singles adversary Kate Klundt 6-4, 6-2. Attending state the last two years in a row, Courville proved she still knew how to compete against the best.

At the No. 3 spot, Ronan freshman Darian Blixt-Leo did in Whitefish’s Deven Skelton in an endurance competition. Blixt-Leo took the first set 6-4 but was shut out in the second round. Regrouping in a big way, she warped her game back in time to the first series and finished her opponent 6-3 to take the match.

Another Maiden freshman, Katelyn Matkovich, keeping par with her teammate, took an abbreviated fourth place singles match 8-2.

None of the Maiden doubles pairs were able to pull out a win.

Ronan head coach Gordon Cummings saw his singles girls put up a good fight in their star player’s debut.

“Brit Courville had a good day getting to play her first matches,” he said. “Darian Blizt-Leo and Katelyn Matkovich each won their singles for the first time.”

He added that the two freshmen “show a lot of promise.”

Due to a time constraint, Courville was the only Maiden to compete at singles and the only Ronan girl to win against Bigfork, taking a quick match 8-1.

The Ronan boys “came against two very good teams as we were very out-matched,” Cummings said.

But two first year players, Riley Cordis, and Matteo Ruis, wouldn’t let their team go home with a shutout. Battling for the match at the bottom of the doubles ladder, the two Chiefs put it to Whitefish’s Kolter Larson and Nick Jack in two sets. While their teammates found themselves on the wrong end of lop-sided losses all day, the Ronan duo managed to pull out a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win of their own.

Cummings observed the two players in action, saying they “are just getting their feet wet.”

Hopefully they keep those feet soaking for a show in the upcoming week. The No. 2 doubles team from Ronan might have damp socks as well, if that’s what it takes for a strong match. Chase Allen and Kyle Yankey lost narrowly in the first set, by a score of 4-6, then forced a tie breaker in the second, just missing a chance for a third.

Again due to a time constraint on Bigfork’s behalf, the boys played single set matches. Yankey put on the best Ronan singles performance in that one, going down 8-5 at the No. 4 singles position.  

Allen and Ruis held their opponents to the same score at the No. 3 doubles spot but didn’t come away with a win in the end.

Boys

Whitefish 6, Ronan 1

Singles - Tanner Hosek, W, def. Sage Burland, 6-0, 6-1; Matt Whitehead, W, def. Austin Butler, 6-2, 6-0; Chase Pierce, W, def. Colten Cheff, 6-0, 6-3; Joel Mallams, W, def. Hunter Shima, 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles - Jake Morrison/Travis Adams, W, def. Sage Burland/Jeff Blixt-Leo, 6-1, 6-3; Austin Sattler/Casey Beiser, W, def. Chase Allen/Kyle Yankee, 6-4, 7-5; Riley Cordis/Matteo Ruic, R, def. Kolter Larson/Nick Jack, 6-1, 6-2.

Bigfork 7, Ronan 0

Singles – Sean Barrett , B, def. Austin Bulter 8-0; Evan Jordt, B, def. Jeff Blixt-Leo 8-2; Ryan Gembala, B, def. Colten Cheff 8-3; John Lyon, B, def. Kyle Yankey 8-5.

Doubles – Scott Taylor/Bridger Mahlum, B, def. Sage Burland/Hunter Shime 8-0; Colter Mahlum/Cole Francisco, B, def. Kyle Yankey/Riley Cordis 8-1; Nate Roberson/Dylan Reichenbach, B, def Chase Allen/Matteo Ruis 8-5.

Girls

Whitefish 4, Ronan 3

Singles - Brit Courville, R, def. Kate Klundt, 6-4, 6-2; Meredith Reed, W, def. Shelby Fisher, 6-1, 6-2; Darian Blixt-Leo, R, def. Devan Skelton, 6-4, 0-6, 6-3; Katelyn Matkovich, R, def. Simona Eicher, 8-2.

Doubles - McCara Cullen/Chelsi Birgensmith, W, def. Shelby Fisher/Darian Blixt-Leo, 6-0, 6-0; Hanna Weaver/Courtney Wilder, W, def. Katelyn Matkovich/Breanna Frank, 6-0, 6-2; Alexa Holliday/Bailey Chauner, W, def. Sophie Mooniche/Hayley Walston, 6-2, 6-3.

Bigfork 4, Ronan 1

Singles

Brit Courville, R, def. Kelly Deaton 8-1.

Doubles

Hannah Barrett/Nicolette Peterson, B, def. Shelby Fisher/Darian Blixt-Leo 8-2; Claire Wilken/Ariel Stallknecht, B, def. Katelyn Matkovich/Breanna Frank 8-0; McKinze Schults/Kianna Wicklund, B, def. Sophie Muniche/Haley Warston 8-3.