Bulldog tennis keeps rolling in Bitterroot
The Whitefish boys tennis team has put in a ton of time on the court in the last two weeks — and it shows.
The Bulldogs posted convincing dual wins over Bigfork and Hamilton last week, while also sending a doubles team deep into the bracket at the Bitterroot Invitational.
“The kids are starting to develop and get better,” coach Chris Schwaderer said. “The doubles teams are more in synch, and the singles players are getting more consistent shots.”
“We’re in a good spot right now. The next couple of weeks we’ll be in tuning mode, and seeing where everyone fits into the roster.”
Whitefish easily dispatched Bigfork 6-1 while sweeping the singles matches. Schwaderer said the win put the Dogs depth on display.
“Bigfork has a good tradition,” Schwaderer said. “It’s fun to go there and see how we match up. It was good to see the depth we have.”
Whitefish swept Hamilton 7-0 on Friday. Holder Roberts led with a win at No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-1 over Renato Schuarts. Bailey Jack and Tommy Murphy teamed up for a win at No. 1 doubles.
“Hamilton is always a measuring stick for us,” Schwaderer said. “They’re a good, solid program, and to go in there and take them down 7-0 says a lot about the team we have.”
Whitefish didn’t have as much success against tennis power Corvallis, losing 0-7.
“They have a lot of really polished kids playing there,” Schwaderer said. “Corvallis has developed a tennis tradition and it’s hard to do much with them.”
Still, he was encouraged to see a few of the matches go three sets.
“Some of the key matches, we were in it for awhile,” he said.
At the Bitterroot Invite, traditional singles players Roberts and Logan Blades teamed up to claim second place in Nos. 1-2 doubles. Schwaderer says he’s toying with the idea of pairing the two for a run at state.
“It was a good test for them,” he said.
He said Roberts has developed more court savvy this season that will benefit him on a doubles team.
“He’s more than a baseline player,” Schwaderer said. “He has more touch and awareness of angles. That makes him strong for doubles.”
“It’s fun to think of them possibly as a team.”
Schwaderer also noted the play of Chaffin Ross and Nathan Fauth at the Invite.
Whitefish hosted Polson on Tuesday. They play at Columbia Falls on May 1.
Whitefish 7, Hamilton 0
Singles – Holden Roberts, W, def. Renato Schuarts, 6-4, 6-1; Logan Blades, W, def. Spencer Tredik, 6-1, 6-0; Jack Brandt, W, def. Trever Richards, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(3); Ethan Potthoff, W, def. Matt McDonald, 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles – Bailey Jack/Tommy Murphy, W, def. Alton Maclean/Mason Tredik, 6-3, 7-5; Nathan Fauth/Chaffin Ross, W, def. Matt McDonald/Charlie Melnarik, n/a; Ryan Brown/Austin Reese, W, def. Renato Schuarts/Spencer Tredik, by default.
Corvallis 7, Whitefish 0
Singles – Pekoc, C, def. Logan Blades, 6-2, 6-0; Shade Jessop, C, def. Holden Roberts, 6-4, 6-4; Smith, C, def. Jack Brandt, 6-1, 6-0; Riley Jessop, C, def. Ryan Brown, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles – Powell/J. Jessop, C, def. Bailey Jack/Tommy Murphy, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0; C. Powell/Warnken, C, def. Nathan Fauth/Chaffin Ross, 6-1, 6-1; Brock Fehr/Porter Jessop, C, def. Ethan Potthoff/Thomas Carloss, 6-0, 6-0.
Whitefish 6, Bigfork 1
Singles — Holden Roberts, W, def. Jorge Zavala 6-0, 6-0; Logan Blades, W, def. Kyle Thompson 6-0, 6-2; Nathan Fauth, W, def. Ben Russell 7-5, 7-5; Jack Brandt, W, def. George Gibson 6-1, 6-2.
Doubles — Isaac Martel/Adam Jordt, B, def. Bailey Jack/Tommy Murphy 6-2, 7-6 (4); Chaffin Ross/Ryan Brown, W, def. Mack Paine/Noah VanQueckelberg 6-0, 6-0; Ethan Potthoff/Austin Reese, W, def. Daniel Sewell/Sam Bishop 6-0, 6-0.