Polson tennis teams shine in weekend matchups

Polson had a busy start to the tennis season, hosting both Southwest A Conference foe Hamilton and fellow Northwest A Conference squad Libby. The boys split their matches while the girls won both matchups.

Baylee Lemm led the charge for the girls, securing two straight-set victories in dominant fashion. Against Hamilton, Lemm didn't drop a single game, defeating Kaelynn Duewall 6-0, 6-0, as the Pirates edged out the Broncs 4-3. She continued her strong play against Libby’s Aubrey Davis, winning 7-5, 6-2, as Polson cruised to a 7-0 sweep.

Meanwhile, teammate Maddie Lake lived life on the edge in both matchups, overcoming Alexis Anson of Hamilton in a grueling three-set battle (5-7, 6-2, 10-7) and then taking down Libby’s Claire Fantozzi in another close contest (7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 11-9).

Johanna Bieber added a win against Hamilton’s Aniston Martz, 6-1, 6-3, while Ziya Walker won her singles match against Libby’s Jill Stewart, 6-4, 6-4.

In doubles action, Josie Henriksen and Alexa Kinaman sealed a crucial victory over Hamilton’s Tessa Lewanski and Jasmine Jiminez, 6-3, 6-4. They also teamed up with different partners to pick up wins against Libby, helping Polson sweep all three doubles matches against the Loggers.

Boys split matches with Libby and Hamilton

The Polson boys secured a 5-2 victory over Hamilton but fell in a tight 4-3 battle against Libby.

Strider Gage emerged as a standout, winning both of his singles matches. He defeated Hamilton’s Jackson Kirkbride in a tough three-setter (0-6, 7-4, 10-8) and then handled Libby’s Teague Thompson with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Bennson Moss picked up a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory against Libby’s Lyzander Gassmann, while Ruger Ellis added a win over Hamilton’s Canden Nelson (6-2, 6-3). Truman Sawyer and Parker Henriksen also contributed singles wins in the victory over Hamilton.

Defending Class A singles state champion Ryan Beagle showcased his skills for Libby, defeating Polson’s Ruger Ellis 6-0, 6-1. In doubles, Max Violett and Marcus Lucas picked up a key win over Libby’s Eric Thompson and Dylan Warner in a tiebreaker (6-4, 5-7, 10-8), but Polson fell just short overall.