Lady Bulldogs take down Loggers in nail-biter on court

The Lady Bulldogs tennis team pulled out a close win over Libby last Friday.

Whitefish won the dual 4-3 over the Lady Loggers, led by big singles wins from Claire Carloss, Jesse Grawunder and Mackenzie Vick. The team of Payton Kastella and Abigail Shaffer picked up the lone doubles win.

Head coach Patrick Dryden said the dual came down to the wire.

“That was about as exciting as a dual match as I can ever remember,” he said. “It looked like we were going to go down 5-2 but the last two matches of the day we rallied. It was a real test of character.”

Dryden said the doubles team of Kastella and Shaffer helped even the two teams at three wins apiece, and Vick’s singles win put them ahead for the win.

“It was one of those moments where you could see them pick it up a notch and take it to another level,” he said.

The No. 1 singles win by Carloss was also encouraging, he said.

“She won a really nice set. She dropped the first set and battled back, so that was a nice win for Claire. Those two are definitely going to cross paths at the divisional tournament,” Dryden said, referring to Libby’s Isabelle Martineau.

This week the team travels down to the Bitterroot for some southwest Montana competition.

They’ll take on Hamilton and Corvallis in duals on Friday, and on Saturday they’ll compete in the Bitterroot Invitational.

Dryden said he’s hoping for a nice week of weather to prepare, but so far he’s happy to see his team come along.

“This is really a crucial week going down to the Bitterroot, we’re going to get a lot of tennis in Friday and Saturday,” Dryden said. “We’re developing a nice team here. We’ve got some contribution from some seniors but it’s a pretty young team.”

Whitefish 4, Libby 3

SINGLES — Claire Carloss, W, def. Isabelle Martineau, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1; Mehki Sykes, L, def. Bella Wilson, 6-4, 6-0; Jesse Grawunder, W, def. Abigail Creighton, 7-6 (9), 6-4; Mackenzie Vick, W, def. Madison Snyder, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.

DOUBLES — Jessika Jones/Marissa Wood, L, def. Aubrey Hanks/Olivia Potthoff, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Laurynn Lauer/Morgan Snyder, L, def. Kit Anderson/Autumn Roalson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Payton Kastella/Abigail Shaffer, W, def. Elise Erickson/Ciera Lucas, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.