'Dogs use wild winds to top Chiefs

Whitefish battled through wicked weather conditions at Ronan on Saturday to win their conference tennis dual 5-2 over the Chiefs. It was the Bulldogs' second win of the season.

"There were some wild conditions we had to overcome," Bulldog coach Chris Schwaderer said. "There were big gusts of wind, it was cold and dust clouds kept coming in. At first, the kids were in a state of shock, but then they looked at it like a novelty."

He said the 'Dogs actually used the conditions to their advantage once they settled into their matches.

With the wind running north to south across the length of the court, Whitefish backed off their hits when the wind was at their backs, and they attacked when the wind was against their serve.

"We made adjustments and ended up doing well," Schwaderer said. "With the wind at their back, they wouldn't attack as much and would let unforced errors happen. They were patient and let Ronan make mistakes."

The boys swept the singles matches, with Fransico Valle and Austin Sattler winning the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds by forfeit. Joel Bacher topped Joe Dresen 6-0, 6-1 to take the No. 3 match, and Connor Ellis cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Tallon Fortin.

Bacher and Ellis typically play No. 3 doubles together, Schwaderer explained.

Due to team members missing the dual for other school events, Schwaderer had to shuffle the line up, which bumped the duo into the singles slots.

"At this point, they're our leading point scorers," he said about Bacher and Ellis. "They're really scrappy and do a nice job at the singles, too."

The coach also commended Sattler's play at Ronan, saying he's been a dependable member of the team who stepped up in the adverse conditions.

"He's been tough to beat lately," Schwaderer said.

With the Bulldogs on a two-dual winning streak, Schwaderer likes the intensity and competitive spirit the team is showing.

"We've been able to really dig in," he said. "It would have been easy for the team to say, 'It's the weather' and write off this dual. In situations where we're evenly matched, we've been competitive enough to get the edge."

In a schedule note, Whitefish will make up a rained-out match with Columbia Falls on May 11 in Whitefish at 3:30 p.m.

Whitefish 5, Ronan 2

SINGLES — Fransico Valle, WF, won by forfeit; Austin Sattler, WF, won by forefit; Joel Bacher, WF, def. Joe Dresen 6-0, 6-1; Connor Ellis, WF, def. Tallon Fortin 6-2, 6-0.

DOUBLES — Joel Mallams/Jake Morison, WF, def. Austin Buttler/Hunter Shima 6-2, 6-3; Jeff Leo/Colten Cheff, R, def. Nick Jack/Casey Beiser 6-1, 7-6 (8-6); Jess Smith/Spencer Sucha, R, def. Konner Hopewell/Cody Ling 6-2, 6-1.