Bulldogs feeling good heading into final week
Forrest Kobelt returns a Columbia Falls serve Thursday at Flathead Valley Community College. (Daniel McKay/Whitefish Pilot)
Eric Holdhusen returns the ball during a match Saturday at Flathead Valley Community College.
Colter Upton returns the ball during a match Saturday at Flathead Valley Community Collge. (Photo courtesy Jeff Doorn)
The Bulldogs are on a roll heading into the final week of the season before the divisional tournament.
On Thursday Whitefish dominated Columbia Falls, getting the sweep at FVCC and picking up an important conference win.
“I think we were just really strong against them, which is great because as we get ready for divisionals we want to get wins in conference and get ourselves set up for a good seeding,” head coach Chris Schwaderer said.
Over the weekend the Bulldogs also battled Hamilton and Corvallis. Whitefish picked up convincing 4-3 and 5-2 victories over the Bitterroot schools.
Getting the win against Hamilton gave the team a boost heading into the final stretch, Schwaderer said.
“We lost to Hamilton last week in the Bitterroot. I was disappointed about it, the kids were disappointed about it, and we kind of stepped up this weekend and took them down 4-3,” Schwaderer said. “Some kids just really came through. A lot of times in tennis you kind of reach a point in the match, a fork in the road, and it can go either way. You can either go south or step up and get it done, and I’ve been seeing kids doing that more and more.”
Whitefish will host Polson at noon on Friday and Stevensville at 11 a.m. on Saturday at FVCC for the final two duals of the season.
Schwaderer said the goal is to get lineups set against some strong competition.
“The biggest priority is really solidifying our lineup. I guess it’s a good problem to have that we have kids that have diverse talents and are able to play different spots,” he said. “Nevertheless, we’ve got to try and figure out what the strongest lineup is to score the most points in divisionals and down the road potentially at state. Right now we’re thinking about chemistry and who performs best at what spot.”
“It’s kind of like a chess match going into the tournament,” he added. “I really enjoy this time of year.”
Whitefish 7, Columbia Falls 0
Singles — Eric Holdhusen, W, def. Jayden Wirkus, 6-0, 6-2; Brendan Buls, W, def. John Gilk, 6-0, 6-1; Noah Fauth, W, def. Chris Howell, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0; Forrest Kobelt, W, def. Garrett Caffrey, 6-2, 6-0.
Doubles — Ethan Potthoff/Thomas Carloss, W, def. Caleb Fleury/Patrick Tillman, 6-2, 6-4; Mark Anderson/Colter Upton, W, def. Camryn Lingle/Tristan Grein (C), 6-3, 6-3; Travis Catina/Jamie Schwartz, W, def. Dillon Washington/Camryn Klintworth, 6-1, 6-3.
Whitefish 4, Hamilton 3
Singles — Alex Raymond, H, def. Eric Holdhusen, 6-1, 6-1; Ethan Potthoff, W, def. Ray Allison, 6-3, 6-1; Sam Toenjes, H, def. Noah Fauth, 6-1, 6-2; Jose Campo, H, def. Mark Anderson, 6-1, 6-3
Doubles — Brendan Buls/Thomas Carloss, W, def. Andy Merkel/Max Toenjes, 6-1, 6-0; Colter Upton/Travis Catina, W, def. Cody Kirkbride/Phil Melarnik, 6-7, (3-7), 6-3 6-2; Jamie Schwartz/Kyiah Ingraham, W, def. Cannon Hawkes/Jared McGourty, 6-1, 7-5
Whitefish 5, Corvallis 2
Singles — Alec Sandster, C, def. Eric Holdhusen, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5); Ethan Potthoff, W, def. Jaymark Liedle, 7-5, 3-6 ,6-1; Mark Anderson, W, def. George Curtis, 6-4, 4-6 6-4; Forrest Kobelt, W, def. Colton Mason, 6-1, 6-4.
Doubles — Brendan Buls/Thomas Carloss, W, def. Gabe DeLeo/Caleb Warnken, 6-2, 6-2; Dylan Josey/Brennen Williams, C, def. Colter Upton /Travis Catina, 6-3, 6-2; Jamie Schwartz/Noah Fauth, W, def. Walker Buhler/River Gladwin, 6-0, 6-0.