Lady netters out last Stevensville

After three crushing defeats to start the tennis season, the Lady Bulldogs finally found their stroke against a tough Stevensville team on Saturday.

The girls team impressively went on the road and defeated the Class A non-conference opponent 5-2, including a sweep by the No. 1 seeds in both the singles and doubles matches.

The dual with Stevensville was the nightcap of a doubleheader that pitted Whitefish (1-3, 0-1) against Hamilton earlier in the day. The 'Dogs were swept 7-0 at Hamilton.

Against Stevensville, senior Meredith Reed went to the wire in the No. 1 match against Hanna Johnson. A tight opening set went into a tiebreaker, where Reed proved to be the dominant hitter en route to a 7-0 win. She stayed in control in the second set to seal the match with a 6-4 win.

"Meredith was on the court for 2 1/2 hours," Lady Bulldog coach Mike Watson explained. "Her opponent was a finesse player, but Meredith was patient. She set up her shots and took advantage of mistakes."

This was Reed's second match of the season after missing the first dual at Bigfork because she was competing in the U.S Snowboard Association's National Championship in Colorado.

In the No. 1 doubles match, the 'Dogs team of Hannah Weaver and Courtney Wilder battled to a 6-5, 6-5 victory over Josie Clark and Emily Pateman.

"This is the first time the two have played doubles together," Watson said. "They were really aggressive at the net and controlled the net. They scored a lot of points that way."

In the No. 2 singles match, freshman Kendall Sattler showed that she will be a force to contend with as her game matures. Sattler handily defeated Makela Sorenson 6-4, 6-0.

"She did really well as a freshman," Watson said. "She has a natural swing."

Also tallying wins were Tara Sullivan, with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the No. 3 singles match, and Ryan Chauner and Haley Craven in the No. 3 doubles.

"Ryan and Haley served the ball well and controlled the net," Watson said about the freshmen team. "They kept their cool and didn't let their nerves get to them.

"As a team, we're getting better each match. It was nice to finally put it all together for a win."

The team travels to rival Columbia Falls today for a dual slated for 3 p.m.

Whitefish 5, Stevensville 2

SINGLES — Meredith Reed, WF, def. Hanna Joshnson, 7-6 (7-0), 6-4; Kendall Sattler, WF, def. Makela Sorenson, 6-4, 6-0; Tara Sullivan, WF, def. Jessica Vickery, 6-2, 6-2; Mersadoez Leese, S, def. Haley Hunnewell, 0-6, 0-6.

DOUBLES — Hannah Weaver/Courtney Wilder, WF, def. Josie Clark/Emily Pateman, 6-5, 6-5; Melissa Diforto/Rochelle Koetter, S, def. Lauren Cain/Lindsey Viscomi, 5-7, 3-6; Ryan Chauner/Haley Craven, WF, def. Breanna Junar/Kote Stepper, 6-3, 6-4.