Ronan tennis finishes regular season

BIGFORK — The boys and girls or Ronan tennis had their final two meets before Divisionals this week. Both Maidens and Chiefs fell 7-0 to Libby and Bigfork.

While neither team picked up a lot of wins this season, Ronan head coach Gordon Cummings said the improvement among a largely young team has been very evident.

“If we take a look at where we were and where we are now it’s been a very productive season,” he said. “With so many young players we knew going in it would be a learning experience. With eight first year boys and eight first year girls, we’ve come a long way.”

That improvement stuck out in a few of the week’s matchups.

Ronan’s Austin Shima and Hunter Shima forced a third set over Libby’s top doubles pair when they came back to win the second set 6-3. It was no small effort against the Loggers, who defeated all of the rest of the Chiefs in two-set matches.

At the top of the singles ladder, Sage Burland just missed out on a set win over Bigfork’s Bridger Mahlum when Mahlum defeated him in a first-set tiebreak.

On the Maidens’ end, all three doubles pairs got shut out in the first set against Bigfork, but all three foraged a game a piece out of the deal in the second stanza.

Libby’s No. 2 double had no easy time with Ronan’s Amber Metzger either. Metzger was just a tiebreak away from winning the first set and lost 6-4 in the second.

Hayley Walston and Brianna Frank competed for a 4-6 loss in the first doubles set to Libby’s No. 2 pair, to round out the scoresheet successes for the Maidens.

The juniors and seniors have been there to support the new hitters, Cummings said.

“Our upperclassmen have been good leaders and helped with the younger athletes,” he said. “Carly, Britt Cheff and Shelby have helped and played with the younger kids all season. Jeff, Austin, Colten and Sage have been instrumental in bringing the younger boys along as well.”

Now it is tournament time.

Ronan goes to Divisionals this Friday and Saturday in Hamilton. 

“Depending on the draw and who brings their best game for divisionals will tell if we have any going to state,” Cummings said.