Girls tennis team takes divisional title
Chris Peterson / For the Pilot<br>Whitefish's Maresa Jenson bats the ball back across the net during divisional play on Saturday.
Whitefish's Danni Paulson defended her Northwestern divisional title for the third time in three years Saturday against Polson's Jen Orchard, and five other Bulldog hitters qualified for the state meet in Polson.
Paulson defeated Orchard 6-1, 6-1 in the finals. Paulson is looking to repeat her state-championship performance from the previous two years.
Bulldog sophomore Brielle Menegazzi also qualified for state in the singles bracket, after losing a third-place match to Bigfork's Trisha Smith in two sets, 6-4, 6-4. This season marks Menegazzi's second trip to the state tournament.
On the doubles court, White-fish qualified two teams for state. Kate Whitaker and Taylor Beach advanced to the final round, where they were defeated by the Polson duo of Malika Erickson and Emily Fors, 6-3, 6-3. Last year, Beach qualified in the singles bracket after facing off with Menegazzi in the divisional consolation round.
Whitefish's Maresa Jenson and Kyla Roy advanced to the final round in the consolation bracket by defeating Polson's Mattea York and Cali Hislop 6-4, 6-2.
But the pair couldn't beat the Columbia Falls sister team of Kate and Sarah Marcille. The Marcille sisters won the match 6-3, 6-1.
The Columbia Falls team also defeated Bulldogs Molly Lauterbach and Sabyra Martin 6-0, 6-2, in a loser-out consolation round.
Last year, the Bulldogs finished in third place at the state meet.
The remaining Bulldogs head to Polson on Friday and Saturday to compete with the best players from around the state.