Doubles team earns All-State honors

Whitefish netters Caroline Carbo and Heather Luedke surprised the field at the Class A state tennis tournament in Billings to finish on the podium in fifth place.

The duo defeated Casey Tehle and Becca Shipp of Billings Central 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) to earn All-State recognition.

“It was a fabulous match,” coach Pat Dryden said. “It went back and forth to match point.”

Dryden said the team overachieved from the beginning of the tourney — knocking off the No. 2 seed from Havre in the opening round.

“No one was really looking at them. They surprised everyone,” Dryden said. “They played very loose.”

As a senior, Carbo finished her tennis career on a good note.

“It’s not often you walk off the court with a big smile in your final match,” Dryden said.

Luedke, a sophomore, will be back next season.

The team opened the tourney on Thursday with a win over Havre’s Ellery Bresler and Breck Don. Their second-round win came over Corvallis duo Emma Decker and Annie Sangster 6-3, 6-4.

On Friday they ran into a “powerhouse” team from Hardin that went on to win the state title. That put them into the consolation bracket where they lost another heartbreaker. The 85 degree heat was a factor.

“We just wilted out there,” Dryden said. “We had some health concerns from both girls.”

After the match, the girls went back to the hotel to recharge and get ready for their fifth-place match.

Dryden says Whitefish hasn’t had a doubles team place at state in more than 10 years.

On the singles side, Sloan Ellis picked up a pair of wins in the consolation bracket over players from Anaconda and Hardin.

“She really came on at the end of the year for us,” Dryden said.

The Whitefish tennis teams will look to build on the momentum from state with a weekly tennis night throughout the summer. Both the boys and girls will play Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the Riverside and Grouse Mountain courts.