Pirate netters convincing in wins

POLSON - The Polson girls' tennis team continued to rack up the wins as the team took two of three matches last Friday and Saturday.

The Lady Pirates had one of the most dominating victories of the season against Whitefish last Friday, taking a 7-0 overall decision. The girls didn't lose a single set, and only lost a combined 12 games out of 96 total.

"Erika Nunlist had another convincing win against Whitefish and still remains unbeaten at No. 2 singles in conference," head coach Bob Hislop said of his steady senior.

Nunlist has only lost two matches all season, and rolled easily in her Whitefish match, taking a 6-1, 6-2 decision.

"It was good to get out on the courts after so much rain," Nunlist said. "I had a lot of fun today. I've improved a lot from last year and I'm having so much fun because I'm playing so much better."

In what Hislop said was their "best match of the year," senior Kayla and junior Kendyall Rochin breezed through their No. 1 doubles match, winning a 6-0, 6-1 decision.

"Kayla and Kendyall are still working on not having the two to four game bad patches in the middle of matches," Hislop said. "If that problem is alleviated, they will be legitimate state contenders."

Saturday's slate featured a trip to Hamilton and Corvallis for the team. Hamilton dropped the Pirates earlier in the season, and again proved a tough opponent as the Lady Pirates fell 3-4. All three Pirate wins came from the doubles side, as the singles players were overwhelmed.

"[Senior] Jane Probst was beaten very soundly by Mary Conwell of Hamilton," Hislop said of his No. 1 singles player, who fell 2-6, 2-6. "We will go to work on the things she struggled with and use the match to learn from. Otherwise Jane had a solid weekend, beating Meredith Reid of Whitefish and Sydnee Madruga of Corvallis."

Two players that fell in singles matches, freshman Whitney Zimmerman (5-7, 1-6) and sophomore Josie Benedetti (5-7, 5-7), "continue to impress," according to Hislop.

"They improve every time they go on court whether playing singles or doubles," he said. "They both lost close singles matches versus veteran players from Hamilton, but played excellent. They also won two matches at No. 3 doubles versus Whitefish and Corvallis."

Despite a 6-1 Saturday afternoon victory over Corvallis, Hislop said the team's "quality of play was way off."

"Maybe it is a midseason slump but we will look at the reasons it may have happened and get it fixed," he said.

The lone loss of the day came as Kendyall Rochin fell in a tough 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 match.

A young, emerging doubles duo was one of the bright spots of the day, Hislop said.

"The new doubles team of [senior] Kelsie Howell and [sophomore] Mackenzie Clay had a great day Saturday, winning two straight set matches, the second one being against the Corvallis No. 1 team," he said of their 6-4, 7-5 and 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victories.

The boys had a tougher go of it, losing all three matches over the same stretch as the girls.

"It was a rough weekend for the boys, but there were some bright spots," Hislop said.

The Pirates lost to Whitefish 3-4 on Friday, but had some encouraging play. Senior Matt Roberts, in the No. 1 slot, won 6-2, 6-2, while senior Christian McCurdy fought back for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2.

"[McCurdy] played very smart and hit the ball with a lot of consistency," Hislop said.

A 3-4 loss to Hamilton was tough to swallow, but Hislop said the play of sophomore Sam Peel in the No. 4 singles slot and No. 3 doubles, sophomores Ian Laimbeer and Reed Hovenkotter, was excellent. Peel took a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision that Hislop called "a very nice win," while Laimbeer and Hovenkotter took a 7-5, 6-1 victory Hislop praised as "a great win."

A 0-7 loss to Corvallis was one of the Pirates most lopsided defeats this season, but Hislop was impressed with senior Shad Giles and Justin Evertz, who played doubles all weekend and only lost to Corvallis in a hard-fought match, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.

"The Corvallis boys' are one of the best doubles teams in Class A," he said. "If Shad and Justin can serve and return with a little more consistently, they will be very competitive at state."

On Friday, the girls will face Dillon and Columbia Falls at home while the boys will play Park and Stevensville on Saturday in Polson.