WHITEFISH BOYS AND POLSON GIRLS WIN DIVISIONAL
May 17, 2009 Northwest Montana A Conference
WHITEFISH BOYS AND POLSON GIRLS WIN DIVISIONAL. BIGFORK AND COLUMBIA FALLS TIED FOR 2ND ON THE BOYS SIDE AND LIBBY TOOK 2ND ON THE GIRLS SIDE. MATT HARRIS OF WHITEFISH WON BOYS DIVISIONAL AND JACKIE MEE OF LIBBY WON GIRLS DIVISIONAL. IN BOYS DOUBLES, GETTS AND RONISH FROM COLUMBIA FALLS WERE DIVISON CHAMPS WHILE ON THE GIRLS SIDE, KAYLA AND KENDYALL ROCHIN WERE DIVISION CHAMPS.
Harris hogs hardware By DAVID LESNICK/The Daily Inter LakePublished: Sunday, May 17, 2009 1:37 AM CDT
Four and going for more.
Whitefish senior Matt Harris captured his fourth divisional tennis title on Saturday at the Western A with a 6-0, 6-3 verdict over Bigfork's Scott Taylor on the courts at Flathead Valley Community College.
Harris, undefeated in Class A competition this spring, will now look to add a state singles title to his illustrious prep career this weekend, also in Kalispell.
"Amazing," Harris said of his divisional success.
"Very special."
Harris captured divisional and state doubles championships last season. He was the divisional singles champion his freshman and sophomore seasons.
His latest performance helped Whitefish repeat as divisional champions for a fourth-straight season. The Bulldogs ran off with team honors, totaling 58 points in the three-day event. Bigfork and Columbia Falls tied for second with 27 each.
"We have some great players this year," Harris said.
"Just like the last couple of years, we've been able to pull it through."
In girls play, Libby's Jackie Mee breezed to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Polson's Jane Probst in the singles final.
Mee, a junior, is now 17-0 and has won three straight divisional titles.
Polson defended its girls title by amassing 62 points. Polson is also the defending state champs.
All the No. 1 divisional seeds captured titles. Grant Getts and Jake Ronish of Columbia Falls, and Kayla Rochin and Kendyall Rochin of Polson did it in boys and girls doubles play.
Harris and Taylor faced off for just the second time this season. Harris won the first matchup 6-3, 6-4.
"No matter who I'm playing, I'm nervous," Harris said.
"It's a curse."
It sure didn't seem to bother Harris in the first set as he capitalized on several miss hits and a frustrated Taylor. He did not lose a game.
That all changed, however, in the second set.
Taylor regrouped, started swinging with more authority, and now his shots were finding the mark.
"I just (told myself) that I'm going to get some games," Taylor said.
"That I wasn't going to get bageled.
"I was hitting a lot of first errors in the first set," he continued.
"I focused more; not so much pace, speed. Slowing it down, I guess."
With the set tied at 3-all, Harris finally had enough. He became more aggressive with his play. The net result was another victory.
"If I was at the net, I was on top," he said.
"I love playing at the net. It's fast."
Harris lost just once in divisional play in four seasons.
He finished fifth at state as a freshman and second as a sophomore in singles play.
Harris has no plans to play tennis at the University of Washington.
"I'm gonna take a break," he said.
"Fifteen years is long enough."
Western A Divisional
Saturday's Results
Boys
Team Totals
Whitefish 58, Bigfork 27, Columbia Falls 27, Libby 22, Polson 21
Singles
Championship
Matt Harris, W, def. Scott Taylor, B, 6-0, 6-3
Third/Fourth
Tanner Hosek, W, def. Alex Cislo, L, 6-4, 6-3
Consolation Semifinals
Hosek def. Vadim Zvyagelskiy, CF, 6-2, 7-5
Cislo def. Bridger Mahlum, B, 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
Championship
Grant Getts/Jake Ronish, CF, def. Matt Whitehead/Zachariah Deister, W, 6-2, 6-3
Third/Fourth
Shad Giles/Kyle Cooper, P, def. Cyrus Maloney/Nate Broden, L, 6-2, 6-1
Consolation Semifinals
Giles/Cooper def. Tyler Engebretson/Stefan McCrumb, P, 6-4, 6-3
Maloney/Broden def. Jake Morrison/Travis Adams, W, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6
Girls
Team Totals
Polson 62, Libby 40, Bigfork 28, Whitefish 22, Columbia Falls 9
Singles
Championship
Jackie Mee, L, def. Jane Probst, P, 6-0, 6-0
Third/Fourth
Kate Klundt, W, def. Jade Bosic, B, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Consolation Semifinals
Klundt def. Alexa Cline, P, 6-2, 6-2
Bosic def. Kelly Deaton, B, 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
Championship
Kayla Rochin/Kendyall Rochin, P, def. Nichole Newman/Anna Valentine, L, 6-0, 6-3
Third/Fourth
Heather Mathison/Kelsie Jones, P, def. Anne Miller/McCara Cullen, W, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Consolation Semifinals
Mathison/Jones def. Nicolette Peterson/Hanna Barrett, B, 6-0, 7-6
Miller/Cullen def. Arianna Shults/Jen Wirth, B, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
-----
Class A Divisional Seeding
Girls
Singles
1 - Jackie Mee, Libby; 2 - Kate Klundt, Whitefish; 3 - Jane Probst, Polson; 4 - Jade Bosic, Bigfork
Doubles
1 - Kayla Rochin/Kendyall Rochin, Polson; 2 - Nichole Newman/Anna Valentine, Libby; 3. - Jenn Wirth/Ariana Schultz, Bigfork; 4 - McCara Cullen/Anne Miller, Whitefish
Boys
Singles
1 - Matt Harris, Whitefish; 2 - Scott Taylor, Bigfork; 3 - Alex Cislo, Libby; 4 - Bridger Mahlum, Bigfork
Doubles
1 - Jake Ronish/Grant Getts, Columbia Falls; 2 - Zachariah Deister/Matt Whitehead, Whitefish; 3 - Tyler Engebretson/Stefan McCrumb, Polson; 4 - Evan Jordt/Ryan Gembala, Bigfork |
NATIONAL
MONTANA
