Lady Pirates bring home tennis gold
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GREAT FALLS — The Polson Lady Pirate tennis team ended its year in winning fashion, clinching the State A championship with 35 points over Hamilton's 34 after two days of wet and windy tennis in Great Falls. According to head coach Bob Hislop, his girls couldn't have performed better, and now “a neat group of girls gets to be state champions.”
Mollybeth Hendrix and Kenzie Clay climbed to second place in doubles play, eventually falling to Hamilton's Erica Huppert and Meg Maclean, 6-4, 6-1. In the consolation championship match, Jordan Quinn and Karly Rochin lost a hard-fought battle to Corvallis' Sydnee Madruga and Megan Lengyel, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, landing the Polson duo in fourth place. Lady Pirates Audra Engebretson and Karmen Borchers ended up sixth after falling to eventual champions Huppert and Maclean, 6-4, 6-2.
In singles action, Whitney Zimmerman proved her mettle, coming back from near-elimination to claim fourth place after falling to Livingston's Macy Ricketts in the consolation championship, 6-2, 6-1.
“Rather than hanging her head, she fought her way back through the tournament,” Hislop said.
Eight of the nine girls that went to State scored points for their team, he added. Kylee Wegner lost both her matches but earned a personal victory just qualifying for State.
“She played really well … that was a big deal for her. She worked really hard to get there,” Hislop said.
While the boys finished just one point out of the trophies behind Billings Central with 16 points in third place, it shouldn't be a disappointment for the team, Hislop said.
“The cool part is that we were that close,” he said.
Pirate duo Ian Laimbeer and Will Davey finished third in the doubles tournament, beating Divisional champs Camp Kenyon and Connor Ellis of Whitefish, 6-2, 6-4, in the consolation championship.
The boys will lose three seniors but are a solid young team whose goal next year is to remedy a decade-long dearth in state championships for Pirate athletics, Hislop noted, as Polson hasn't won a boys' championship since 2000.
“I know the boy's tennis team wants to change that next year,” he said.
The girls lose six seniors, but Rochin, Hendrix, Zimmerman and Tegan Bauer will all return to the varsity lineup, bringing plenty of postseason experience to the table.
State A Tennis
Friday
BOYS
Final team scores – Corvallis 21, Stevensville 18, Billings Central 16, Polson 15, Butte Central 13, Hardin 12, Havre 10, Whitefish 8, Hamilton 5, Columbia Falls and Livingston 4, Lewistown 2, Anaconda, Dillon and Libby 0.
Singles semifinals
Dillon Meyer, BIC, def. Mitchell Decker, COR, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; James Enzler, STE, def. Rusty Burshia, HAR, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
Championship
Meyer def. Enzler, 6-2, 6-3.
Consolation final
Justin Jensen, HAV, def. Burshia, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles semifinals
Cole Noctor/Derek Ralph, BUT, def. Ian Laimbeer/Will Davey, POL, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; Bridger Walczynski/D.J. Pekoc, COR, def. Garin McGrann/Josh Meier, STE, 6-1, 6-0.
Championship
Walczynski/Pekoc def. Noctor/Ralph, 6-1, 6-2.
Consolation final
Laimbeer/Davey def. Camp Kenyon/Connor Ellis, WHI, 6-2, 6-4.
GIRLS
Final team scores – Polson 35, Hamilton 34, Glendive 22, Livingston 21, Corvallis 10, Dillon 3, Lewistown and Hardin 2, Havre, Anaconda and Billings Central 1, Columbia Falls, Libby, Whitefish, Stevensville and Butte Central 0.
Singles semifinals
Morgan Opp, GLE, def. Macy Ricketts, LIV, 6-0, 6-1; Mary Conwell, HAM, def. Dylan Balanda, LIV, 6-3, 6-2.
Championship
Opp def. Conwell, 6-1, 6-2.
Consolation final
Ricketts def. Whitney Zimmerman, POL, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles semifinals
Erica Huppert/Meg Maclean, HAM, def. Audra Engebretson/Karmen Borchers, POL, 6-4, 6-2; Mollybeth Hendrix/Kenzie Clay, POL, def. Hollie Seymour/Sallie DeBoer, LIV, 6-1, 6-2. Championship
Huppert/Maclean def. Hendrix/Clay, 6-4, 6-1.
Consolation final
Sydnee Madruga/Megan Lengyel, COR, def. Jordan Quinn/Karly Rochin, POL, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Thursday
BOYS
Singles first round
Dillon Meyer, BIC, def. Colin Hollow, BUT, 6-0,6-0; Andrew Bruno, FER, def. Sam Peel, POL, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; Dallas Lussier, LIV, def. Brian Marcille, CF, 6-2,6-4; Mitchell Decker, COR, def. John Knisley, BIC, 6-4, 6-1; Brady Hislop, POL, def. Geoff Dierenfeldt, ANA, 6-0, 6-0; James Enzler, STE, def. Nathan Sickler, GLE, 6-1, 6-0; Rusty Burshia, HAR, Hardin, def. Ethan Selig, HAM, 6-3, 6-4; Justin Jensen, HAV, def. Dan Leggins, LIB, 6-2, 6-2.
Quarterfinals
Meyer def. Bruno, 6-0, 6-0; Decker def. Lussier, 5-7, 7-6, 6-0; Enzler def. Hislop, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3; Burshia def. Jensen, 6-2, 6-4.
Doubles first round
Laimbeer/Davey, POL, def. Roe/Berg, GLE, 6-4, 7-5; Isherwood/ Homyak, HAM, def. Bowden/Snow, LIV, 6-1, 6-1; Noctor/Ralph, BUT, def. Richards/Richards, LIV, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Kenyon/Ellis, WHI, def. Palmer/Li, GLE, 6-1, 7-5; McGrann/Meier, STE, def. Grimson/McCann, HAV, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2; Baumann/Albert, HAR, def. Congdon/McCrumb, POL, 6-2, 7-6; Johnson/Zvyagelskiy, CF, def. Stanhope/Burman, GLE, 6-3, 6-1; Walczynski/Pekoc, COR, def. Butcher/Songer, FER, 6-1, 6-1.
Quarterfinals
Laimbeer/Davey def. Isherwood/Homyak, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6; Noctor/Ralph def. Kenyon/Ellis, 6-4,6-2; McGrann/Meier, STE, def. Baumann/Albert, HAR, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; Walczynski/Pekoc def. Johnson/Zvyagelskiy, 7-5, 6-1.
GIRLS
Singles first round
Morgan Opp, GLE, def. Jeanna Mane, FER, 6-0, 6-0; Kim Lamar, HAM, def. Gabrielle Stenger, CF, 6-2, 6-3; Sara Robinson, POL, def. Annie Sangster, COR, 6-3, 6-1; Macy Ricketts, LIV, def. Katie Cummins, BIC, 6-2, 6-1; Mary Conwell, HAM, def. Kylee Wegner, POL, 6-0, 6-1; Jordan Johnson, GLE, def. Brandy Lambourne, HAV, 6-0, 6-2; Dylan Balanda, LIV, def. Carrie Old Coyote, HAR, 6-0, 6-2; Hannah Peterson, HAM, def. Whitney Zimmerman, POL, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Quarterfinals
Opp def. Lamar, 6-1, 6-0; Ricketts def. Robinson, 6-1, 6-1; Conwell def. Johnson, 6-0, 6-0; Balanda def. Peterson, 7-6, 6-1.
Doubles first round
Lystad/Hill, GLE, def. Heckeroth/Decker, COR, 6-2, 6-2; Engebretson/Borchers, POL, def. Richards/Ellingson, LIV, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4; Quinn/Rochin, ,POL, def. Monger/Nielsen, FER, 6-1, 6-3; Huppert/Maclean, HAM, def. Hertz/Lee, BIC, 6-1, 6-2, Hendrix/Clay, POL, def. VanMeel/Salle, ANA, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4; Madruga/Lengyel, COR, def. Burman/Carbajal, GLE, 7-5, 6-2; Suenram/Southam, DIL, def. Johnson/Cai, HAR, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Seymour/Deboer, LIV, def. Danzyk/Craven, WHI, 6-1,6-3.
Quarterfinals
Engebretson/Borchers def. Lystad/Hill, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; Huppert/McLean def. Quinn/Rochin, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Hendrix/Clay def. Madruga/Lengyel, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Seymour/Deboer def. Suenram/Southam, 7-5, 6-2.
