Rochins place sixth at state tourney

KALISPELL — State competition has a way of sorting out the best. And for one Polson doubles pair - that of Kayla and Kendyall Rochin - it took 16 sets of hard-fought tennis to prove they deserved a place among the best of Montana’s Class A competitors.

The sisters took sixth place, a medaling offense.

“Coming into the weekend, I wasn’t sure how they would stack up against the competition and they definitely proved themselves,” Polson coach Bob Hislop said.

They also proved they have endurance. Their stroll to sixth was no cake walk, it was more like a marathon.

One match is long enough, but the tenacious duo had to play six matches this past weekend, four of them of the 3-set variety.

Even the opening round went long, but the Lady Pirates prevailed 4-6 7-5 6-1 over the lower seed from Miles City.

In the quarter finals, things came down to the wire.

The Havre opponents stole the first set 6-4, but were met by a stinging 6-1 loss, courtesy of the Rochins in the second. In the final stanza, the Polson hitters opened up a 5-3 lead, just a point away from sealing a spot in the semis.

But the Havre hitters rallied for a 7-5 tiebreaker.

“It was an extremely well played match with lots of twists and turns,” Bob Hislop said.

It was a good taste of tournament tennis, but a little sour. It meant the Rochins would have to win to survive.

And win they did.

In the first loser-out round, there were four sisters on the court. The Rochins dealt the Huschkas with a quick 6-2 6-2 loss in that family feud.

They had taken the must-win match. Next, it was a must-place match for Kayla and Kendyall. They beat Dillon’s Wehrle and Downey 6-2 6-2.

The consolation semifinal against Dillon’s top pair, Baker and Dietrich, bore resemblance to the Rochins’ first loss.

The first set went to their opponents, the Rochins won the most convincing set in the second, then the final set ended close, but in the Dillon hitters’ favor.

The Rochins lost one more 3-set match to a pair of Lewistown veteran seniors to take sixth.

They finished the year 20-5 and both won all of their singles matches in the regular season.

In girls singles play, top Polson netter Jane Probst won her first match 6-3 6-3 over Livingston’s Alex Rickets. Then she had a tough draw. Eventual silver medalist Brittany Hatzell of Billings Central took the match 6-1 6-4.

The loser-out match was a long and hard one. And Probst didn’t quite survive it, despite winning the first set 6-4.

The loss that ended her run was to Billings Central’s Taylor Steubs, the eventual fifth-place finisher.

“She raised her game all season and with some hard summer work will be a strong contender at the state level next year,” Hislop said.

The dynamic doubles duo of Kelsie Jones and Heather Mathison were out in two, as was the pair of Kyle Cooper and Shad Giles on the boys’ end.

The only Polson boys representing their team at state, Cooper and Giles almost won their first match over the eventual fourth-place pair from Billings Central. They lost the first set in a tiebreaker, won a tiebreak of their own in the second, then lost the final battle 6-2.

In loser-out action, Lewistown hitters stopped the Pirates with a 6-4 6-1 victory.

Jones and Mathison finished the year 15-4 and Cooper and Giles went 9-3 in matches played together.

“It was a very good year for Polson tennis,” Hislop said. “A young girls team made great strides and only lose Kelsie Jones and Sara Keeble to graduation. The boys team will get hit much harder by graduation but has some good young talent in place and some strong players coming out of junior high. Matt Roberts and Shad Giles will be the key pieces to an improved boys team.”