Lady Dogs sweep a full week of competition
NAME reaches up during a set against Columbia Falls Thursday at FVCC.
Paint Intasuk goes for a shot Saturday at Flathead Valley Community College. (Photo courtesy Jeff Doorn)
Nina Thew prepares to serve during a match Saturday at Flathead Valley Community College. (Photo courtesy Jeff Doorn)
The Lady Bulldogs had a dominant week, grabbing victories against Columbia Falls, Hamilton and Corvallis.
On Tuesday Whitefish hosted their rival Wildkats at Flathead Valley Community College and came away with a 6-1 win.
Head coach Patrick Dryden pointed to Hannah Madsen’s No. 1 singles victory over her tough matchup, Molly Schmit, as a highlight of the afternoon.
“That was a big win,” he said. “I would say it’s important for seeding purposes for divisionals but it’s just important mentally. Hannah is going into the divisional tournament with a lot of confidence.”
Over the weekend the Lady Dogs took down Hamilton 7-0 and Corvallis 4-3. Dryden said he’s impressed with the competitive mindset he’s seeing from his team.
“The highlight is that we’re winning a lot of close matches. We’ve got some really competitive athletes that play a lot of sports, some basketball players, volleyball, golfers, kids that are really competitive and helping us at crunch time,” he said.
Melissa Pollard and Holly Hileman picked up the key doubles victory over Corvallis’s Connie Watt and Claire Pickett to seal the 4-3 victory.
While the play of his older athletes has been integral to the team’s success, Dryden also noted the play of some of his freshmen, including Olivia Potthoff, Aubrey Hanks, Claire Carloss and Jesse Grawunder.
“They had a really good week. All four of them are just improving in every aspect of their game,” he said.
Whitefish hosts Polson at noon on Friday and Stevensville at 11 a.m. on Saturday at FVCC for the final two duals of the season.
Dryden said this week is all about fine tuning before the divisional tournament kicks off on May 16.
“The main emphasis is tuning up, staying sharp and working on all our skills,” he said. “Our divisional tournament is eight days away, so it is fast approaching.”
Whitefish 6, Columbia Falls 1
Singles — Hannah Madsen, W, def. Molly Schmit, 1-6, 6-0, 7-5; Paint Intasuk, W, def. Sammi Mueller, 6-0, 6-0; Anna Pickard, CF, def. Savannah Krause, 6-3, 6-4; Claire Carloss, W, def. Mariah Lingle, 6-4, 6-3.
Doubles — Cailyn Ross/Paige Sproul, W, def. Meghan McCallum/Kayla Nicol, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Holly Hileman/Melissa Pollard, W, def. Taylor Kellar/Paige Lozeau, 6-3, 6-2; Olivia Potthoff/Auvery Hanks, W, def. Shae Turk/Brianna Kirby, 6-3, 6-1.
Whitefish 7, Hamilton 0
Singles — Hannah Madsen, W, def. Sarah Trihn, 6-1, 6-1; Paint Intasuk, W, def. Grace Kemp, 6-1, 6-0; Savannah Krause, W, Holly Mahon, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Nina Thew, W, def. Lauren Kinzey, 6-4, 6-4.
Doubles — Melissa Pollard/Holly Hileman, W, def. Colleen May Mia Sinatovik, 6-3, 6-2; Aubrey Hanks/Olivia Potthoff, W, def. Claire Mathews/Emily Mossbrucker, 6-1, 6-1; Kit Anderson/Autumn Roalson, W, won by forfeit.
Whitefish 4, Corvallis 3
Singles — Madsen, W, def. Olivia Fehr, 6-0, 6-4; Intasuk, W, def. Pickett, 6-3, 6-2; Molly Dale, C,. def. Potthoff, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Hanks, W, def. Esther Jankunas, 6-3, 6-3.
Doubles — Kristin Saturday/Emilie Thomas, C, def. Cailyn Ross/Paige Sproul, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2; Pollard/Hileman, W, def. Connie Watt/Claire Pickett, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Bailey Zsupnik/Mackenzie Jessop, C, def. Claire Carloss/Jesse Grawunder, 6-3, 6-3.