Whitefish’s Trieweiler, Workman double up for championship

The Lady Bulldogs secured the Northwest A Divisional title as a team on Friday, led by the championship win of doubles team Emma Trieweiler and Tallory Workman.

Whitefish’s No. 1 doubles team worked their way through the tournament, and in the championship match won a battle over Ronan’s Aaliyah Decker and Alyssa Pretty On Top, 6-4, 6-4.

Whitefish scored 62 points and Polson came in second with 46. Whitefish coach Patrick Dryden expected the team scores to be closer, but several Whitefish girls scored team points to secure the title. Whitefish will be taking six players to the State A tournament — which ties the record number of athletes the Lady Bulldogs have qualified in past years.

“That was our best-case scenario,” Dryden said.

Whitefish’s No. 2 doubles team of Elliette Haigh and Ashley Gunset are also headed to state. The Haigh/Gunset team made it to the third-place match but lost 6-4, 6-1 to Polson’s Camilla Foresti/Katie Smith doubles team. The fourth-place finish is enough to send them to the next level of competition.

Whitefish’s doubles teams knocked off both the Polson No. 2 and 3 teams, which helped to win the team title.

In singles play, Whitefish’s Anyah Cripe competed in the championship match against Polson’s No. 1 Clara Todd. Cripe and Todd battled out a three-set match with Todd winning 0-6, 6-1, 6-3. Cripe finishing second will have a high seed for the State A tournament.

Teammate Lauren Brown finished right behind Cripe in third place. Brown won the third-place match over Columbia Falls’ Cloey Ramage 6-1, 6-2.

“Saturday morning, I thought that was the best match Lauren has ever played,” Dryden said. “She beat Cloey 6-1,6-2… That was an important win.”

Dryden says Alivia Lusko had an excellent tournament as well, finishing in fifth place just outside of the top-four state qualifiers for singles. Lusko went from being 11th on Whitefish’s team last year to fifth in the Northwest A this season — that’s quite the improvement according to Dryden.

“She came within a whisper of qualifying for state,” he said. “She made a huge jump this year and really worked hard in the offseason.”

The state pairings came out Monday, and Whitefish is looking good heading into the tournament.

“Some of the seedings are higher than I had ever dreamed of, so we’re in pretty good shape,” Dryden said. “I think it’s going to be the most competitive girls’ championship I’ve ever been a part of. I think it’s possible that 20 team points could win the championship — it's going to be that close.”

The State A tennis tournament is May 26-27 in Bozeman.

GIRLS

Singles

Third place

Lauren Brown (WF) def. Cloey Ramage (CF) 6-1, 6-2 (played Saturday).

Championship

Clara Todd (POL) def. Anyah Cripe (WF) 0-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Doubles

Third place

Camilla Foresti/Katie Smith (POL) def. Elliette Haigh/Ashley Gunset (WF) 6-4, 6-1.

Championship

Emma Trieweiler/Tallory Workman (WF) def. Aaliyah Decker/Alyssa Pretty On Top (RON) 6-4, 6-4.

Emma Shaffer (WF) def. Elaina Covington (LIB) 6-2, 6-4; Lexi Oberholtzer (CF) def. Lainey Racine (RON) 6-2, 6-0; Summer Neuman (POL) def. Madison Perry (RON) 6-0, 6-0.

Clara Todd (POL) def. Shaffer 6-0, 6-1; Kaileen Howard (RON) def. Mackenzie Nelson (CF) 6-4, 6-3; Lauren Brown (WF) def. Oberholtzer 6-1, 6-0; Cloey Ramage (CF) def. Kaitlyn Canary (LIB) 6-0, 6-2; Alivia Lusko (WF) def. Piper Hoxie (POL) 6-2, 6-3; Lillian McDonald (CF) def. Jenna Hammond (POL) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Anyah Cripe (WF) def. Neuman 6-0, 6-0.

Todd def. Howard 6-0, 6-0; Brown def. Morrison 6-0, 6-0; Ramage def. Lusko 7-5, 7-5; Cripe def. McDonald 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Covington def. Canary 6-0, 6-1; Neuman def. Racine 6-2, 6-0.

Oberholtzer def. Perry 6-2, 6-0; Shaffer def. Nelson 6-2, 6-0; Ellie Andreessen/Allie Thorstenson (LIB) def. Anne Lybbert/Kati Crockett (CF) 6-2, 6-0; Sierra Lundeen/Elizabeth Tolley (POL) def. Mollina Sydnor/Angie Paca (RON) 6-1, 6-0; Grace Gedlaman/Alyssa Williams (WF) def. Addie Oehlerich/Sophie Olson (WF) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; Camilla Foresti/Katie Smith (POL) def. Savanah Lucas/Kayla Hoff (LIB) 6-0, 6-0; Elliette Haigh/Ashley Gunset (WF) def. Zerita McAtee/Zoey Byrd (CF) 6-0, 6-0; Lucy Violett/Karli Owen (POL) def. Bella Covington/Macey Halvorson (LIB) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Round 2

Emma Trieweiler/Tallory Workman (WF) def. Andreessen/Thorstenson 6-2, 6-0; Lundeen/Tolley def. Gedlaman/Williams 6-4, 6-4; Foresti/Smith def. Haigh/Gunset 6-4, 0-6, 6-2; Aaliyah Decker/Alyssa Pretty On Top (RON) def. Violett/Owen 7-5, 6-2.