The Bitterroot Valley is a hot bed for good tennis teams and both Polson squads were able to split in their duals with Hamilton and Corvallis last Friday. The Polson boys downed Hamilton 5-2 and lost a close one to Corvallis 4-3, while the girls defeated Corvallis 6-1 and fell to Hamilton 6-1.

The Bitterroot Valley is a hot bed for good tennis teams and both Polson squads were able to split in their duals with Hamilton and Corvallis last Friday. The Polson boys downed Hamilton 5-2 and lost a close one to Corvallis 4-3, while the girls defeated Corvallis 6-1 and fell to Hamilton 6-1.

“I think the boys had a good day on Friday,” Polson head coach Bob Hislop said. “Corvallis is easily the team that everyone expects to win state. If we’re competitive with them then we’ve got to feel good about that.”

Corvallis pulled out the victory despite singles wins by Tommy Mercer and Sam Peel, and doubles victories by Dylan McCrumb and Hayden Congdon.

In their 5-2 victory over Hamilton, Peel and Layne Zimmerman were victorious in singles while the doubles teams of Will Davey/Ian Laimbeer, Congdon/McCrumb and Reed Hovenkotter/Sam Kinzle made the clean sweep.

“Dylan and Hayden had a fantastic weekend,” Hislop said. “And if [No. 1 singles player] Brady Hislop and Sam keep growing and growing every week with their play, with the tough competition they play it just makes us better. We want to push the kids.”

Hamilton gave the Polson girls their first dual loss of the season, but how the match went wasn’t indicative of the 6-1 score. The Lady Pirates, who defeated the Lady Broncs earlier this season, are the only tennis team to have defeated Hamilton this year.

“Hamilton is probably one of the two or three teams that are good enough to win the state championship this year,” Hislop said. “Even though the score says 6-1, Kenzie Clay and Mollybeth Hendrix had a good chance to win their doubles match, while Sara Robinson and Whitney Zimmerman could have won their singles matchups as well.”

Jordan Quinn and Karly Rochin won their No. 3 doubles matchup 6-0, 6-0 over Hamilton’s Gina Schmidt and Beth Bitterman to give Polson its one victory of the dual.

“We competed well,” Hislop said. “If you have to pick out a day to have a loss, this one helps with the situation. It takes off the pressure of an undefeated season and in turn we get to coach the kids about it and they learn something from it.”

Polson bounced back against Corvallis with a 6-1 victory. Zimmerman and Robinson picked up singles victories as did Kylie Wegner and Tegan Bauer.

Audra Engebretson and Karmen Borchers won at No. 2 doubles while Clay and Hendrix won their No. 3 doubles matchup.

WEATHERING THE STORM

Polson has been through some windy weather this spring and going to the Bitterroots last Friday gave them the same blustery conditions. That hinderence may also prove to be an advantage when the Pirates and Lady Pirates face teams from the east who are used to the wind.

“We’ve played in more wind this season than we had in the previous five,” Hislop said. “That plays into our favor with the state tournament in Great Falls you’ve got to expect the wind.”

However, the wind hasn’t been the toughest part of the season. Polson has been through a busy stretch of the season where they’ve gotten plenty of experience before the divisional tournament, which will be held in Polson on May 17-18. The Pirates and Lady Pirates didn’t play in duals on Saturday or Sunday which came as a welcomed break.

“Every kid has played a full schedule and been through 12 matches in three weeks,” Hislop said. “That’s like playing four basketball games a week for three weeks straight. I think we were getting a little tired so it was nice to take this last weekend off and do something other than tennis.”

Next Saturday will be Polson’s last regular season home match, and Hislop said he’d like to see people come out and support the tennis seniors that have helped the program through the years. Their duals against Columbia Falls and Stevensville will take place at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.

Hamilton 6, Polson Girls 1

Singles – Erica Huppert, H, def. Whitney Zimmerman, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; Hannah Peterson, H, def. Sara Robinson, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4; Kim Lamar, H, def. Kylee Wegner, 6-4, 6-2; Jill Toews, H, def. Tegan Bauer, 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles – Mary Conwell/Meg Maclean, H, def. Audra Engebretson/Karmen Borchers, 6-0, 6-1; Sadie Della Silva/Ceili Quinlan, H, def. Kenzie Clay/Molly beth Hendrix, 7-6 (5), 6-2; Jordan Quinn/Karly Rochin, P, def. Gina Schmidt/Beth Bitterman, 6-0, 6-0.

Polson Girls 6, Corvallis 1

Singles – Whitney Zimmerman, P, def. Liz Hennessy, 6-1, 6-1; Sara Robinson, P, def. Emma Decker, 7-5, 6-1; Kylee Wegner, P, def. Annie Sangster, 6-4, 6-3; Tegan Bauer, P, def. Keenan Moore, 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles – Sydnee Madruga/Megan Lengyel, C, def. Jordan Quinn/Karly Rochin, 6-0, 6-2; Audra Engebretson/Karmen Borchers, P, def. Shayna Jessop/Chelsea Reichard, 6-3, 6-2; Kenzie Clay/Mollybeth Hendrix, P, def. Lacey Allsop/Jaurice Cooper, 6-3, 6-2.

Polson Boys 5, Hamilton 2

Singles – Ethan Selig, H, def. Brady Hislop, 6-3, 6-2; Sam Peel, P, def. Cody Tredik, 6-4, 6-3; Kendall McDonald, H, Tommy Mercer, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 10-8; Layne Zimmerman, P, def. John Walker, 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles – Will Davey/Ian Laimbeer, P, def. Reese Isherwood/Craig Weese, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0; Hayden Congdon/Dylan McCrumb, P, def. Shawn Homyak/Aaron Mead, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; Reed Hovenkotter/Sam Kinzle, P, def. Ivan Ogden/Brad Hankel, 6-1, 6-3.

Corvallis 4, Polson Boys 3

Singles – Mitchell Decker, C. def. Brady Hislop, 6-2, 6-0; Sam Peel, P, def. Turner Zsupnik, 6-2, 6-3; Tommy Mercer, P, def. Ammon Venema, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8; Mack Reichard, C, def. Layne Zimmermann, 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles – Bridger Walczynski/DJ Pekoc, C, def. Ian Laimbeer/Will Davey, 6-1, 6-1; Dylan McCrumb/Hayden Congdon, P, def. Tim Allsop/Drew Myers, 6-1, 7-5; Jake Pekoc/Luke Lagerquist, C, def. Sam Kinzle/Reed Hovenkotter, 2-6, 6-0, 10-4.