'Cats fall to Bigfork, Libby, Polson

Columbia Falls boys tennis coach Gary Yee is looking for improvement on the court each week, and he's seeing it.

The Wildcats won three varsity matches in a Friday dual against Libby, and two each against Bigfork on Thursday and Polson on Friday.

Bigfork earned a 5-2 win after C-Falls had defeated the Vikings 4-3 three days earlier. The Wildcat wins all came in doubles. Jake Ronish and Grant Getts won in straight sets (7-5, 6-0). Brian Marcille and Parker Johnson lost their first set, 6-3, but took the next two, 6-2, 6-4.

C-Falls won all three doubles matches against Libby, but was swept in singles for a 4-3 team win.

Ronish and Getts again won in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). Marcille and Johnson were winners, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6). Billy Garcia and Scott Hopkins won in split sets (6-3, 2-6, 6-3).

"Brian and Parker really bumped it up a notch," Yee said. "They did a great job finishing shots at the net."

Yee said the 'swing match" was at No. 4 singles, where Levi Mysliki of Libby defeated Miroslav Zvyagelskiy, 7-5, 6-3.

Polson posted a 5-2 win over C-Falls. Miroslav Zvyagelskiy rallied for a split set win over Tom Deanovic, 2-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. In doubles, Ronish and Getts eased past Matt Roberts and Stefan McCrumb, 6-2, 6-2. Since C-Falls forfeited at No. 1 singles, Getts played and won, 6-2, 6-2.

Yee was pleased with the play of Ronish and Getts.

"They're starting to turn it on more and more," the coach said.

Yee is pleased with the progress on the court.

"We're where we need to be this week," he said with the divisional tournament just a week away. "We have two matches to fine-tune some things."

Wildkat netters earn win over Anaconda

Members on the Columbia Falls girls tennis team got a lot of court time recently as the Wildkats competed in nine duals over a nine-day span. A highlight was a 5-2 win over Anaconda on Saturday in Polson.

Last Thursday, Bigfork posted a 6-1 win over C-Falls. The Wildkats' only win came in the No. 3 doubles match as Aysia Potter and Franki Anderson swept Kianna Wicklund and Anna Marie Loese, 6-3, 6-1.

All seven matches in the dual were straight sets.

Natalie Law put up quite a fight against Elyse Myers, who posted a 6-4, 6-4 win in No. 3 singles.

"We were flat," C-Falls coach Jerry Smalley said. "I think the kids were still exhausted from playing in the cold wind in Kalispell Tuesday."

Smalley commended Potter and Anderson for their solid play.

Libby squeaked out a 4-3 win over the Wildkats on Friday. In No. 2 singles, Law swept Chelsey Oeldewaldt, 7-5, 7-5. Gabi Stenger put up a battle against Ashley Straw, but Straw won, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Marissa Getts and Lexie Bartkoski earned a 6-3, 6-2 win over Tawnya Granger and Alissa Buti in No. 2 doubles. At No. 3, Potter and Anderson dominated Kyla O'Brien and Tana Wilson, 6-0, 6-1.

Polson won six of seven varsity matches over C-Falls on Saturday in Polson. The lone Wildkat win came from Getts, who beat Sara Keeble 6-2, 7-5 in No. 3 singles.

Stenger went three sets before falling short against Erika Nunlist, and Smalley said Stenger is "improving rapidly."

C-Falls swept Anaconda in doubles, as teams of Shelby Hobbs and Stephanie Raymond, Getts and Bartkoski, and Potter and Anderson earned wins. Getts and Bartkoski rallied from a first-set loss.

Earning wins in singles were Stenger (6-1, 6-0) and Cailey Philmon by forfeit.

"Those last three matches just confirmed that we're about three weeks behind teams who have spent more time practicing outdoors," Smalley said.

C-Falls played Eureka twice Tuesday in Eureka, and the Wildkats won both, 5-2 and 4-3.

Wildkat winners in the first dual were Law and Stenger in singles, and doubles teams of Raymond and Hobbs, Getts and Bartkoski, and Potter and Anderson. All were straight sets in doubles.

In the second dual, Laura Burgi earned a No. 4 singles win. The same doubles teams were also winners against Eureka.

Smalley said 20 junior varsity players saw action against Polson. He said coach Erin Quintia has done a good job of preparing the younger kids to be future varsity players.

A recap of JV matches is coming up in Sports.