Whitefish tennis dominates crosstown rival Columbia Falls

The Whitefish tennis teams delivered a strong performance against Columbia Falls on May 6, taking 12 of 14 matches in a dominant crosstown showing.

The Bulldog girls rolled to a 6-1 team win, sweeping singles play and claiming two of three doubles matches. Liesl Brust set the tone in No. 1 singles with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Bailey Windauer. Emy Hansen followed in the No. 2 spot with a competitive 7-5, 6-4 win over Ella Heppner, while Ainsley Grubb and Allie Shors won their matches in straight sets.

In doubles, Camry Kelch and Maggie Mercer earned a 6-1, 6-3 win for Whitefish, and Zoey Marzo teamed up with Aubrey Mercer for a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Columbia Falls avoided the sweep thanks to a gritty comeback win by Ava Scholz and Campbell LaCasse, who dropped the first set but rebounded to take their match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

On the boys’ side, Whitefish again prevailed 6-1, with clean sweeps in singles. Jack Oehlerich led the charge with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Will Pickard at No. 1 singles. Owen Erickson and Bjorn Bungener each added straight-set wins, while Fin Hobart capped off singles play with a 6-4, 6-0 result over Brady Heitz.

In doubles, the most competitive match of the day came between Whitefish’s Walt Seigmund and Aaron Anderson and Columbia Falls’ Jax Ramage and Sol Masters. The match stretched to three sets and two tiebreakers, with Whitefish ultimately winning 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7-4). Jack Shors and Charlie Oehlerich added a 6-0, 6-3 win.

Columbia Falls’ lone boys victory came from Silas Ypma and William Oberholtzer, who rallied for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Cole Moses and Marcus Mercer.

    Freshman Charlie Oehlerich plays against Polson at Grouse on Thursday, May 8. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)