Bulldog boys tennis tallies two more wins
The Whitefish boys tennis team took down two Northwest A foes last week, defeating Libby and Ronan.
The boys swept Ronan 4-0 and won over the Loggers 6-1. Whitefish head coach Chris Schwaderer says the team is in good form as it is still very early in the season.
“We look good, we’re really sharp with the way we have been playing,” Schwaderer said. “I’m really happy with where we are considering we’re really early in the season.”
The coach says he is still experimenting with lineups with both the singles and doubles.
Bulldog senior Aaron Dicks played doubles last year and most of this year so far, but on Thursday in Ronan he defeated the Chiefs' No. 1 player in a singles match, 6-3, 6-0.
Dicks, with doubles partner Highland Lee-French, also won a match against Libby’s No. 1 doubles team. Schwaderer says the Whitefish doubles team bounced back from a defeat in Polson the week prior and is playing well.
Whitefish sophomore Mason Kelch continues to step up to any challenge as well. Schwaderer has had Kelch playing doubles throughout his freshman year and some of this season, but has recently tried him as the No. 2 singles player.
“He’s (Kelch) looking really solid, I think he’s got a very complete game…” Schwaderer said. “Every aspect of his game is really looking good right now.”
The coaches are also trying sophomore Jesse Burrough in singles play, and he won as the No. 3 singles player this week.
“He is super competitive; I’m really happy with what he’s able to do at singles,” Schwaderer said.
Overall, the doubles and singles players are performing well in the early season according to the coach. He believes the team is a little heavier in doubles players, so he will continue to mix up the lineup before postseason play.
This week Whitefish is scheduled to play in Libby at the Libby Invitational tournament. Schwaderer looks forward to seeing the team play in a tournament for the first time this season.
“That will probably say a lot, see how we handle the tournament format,” he said.
Matches begin in Libby on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.