Sattler, Ellis sweep No. 1 doubles
Whitefish’s No. 1 doubles tennis team
of Austin Sattler and Connor Ellis swept through the competition
last week, posting wins against Libby, Stevensville and Hamilton to
lead the Bulldogs.
The duo has shown in the first part of
this season that they’ll be tough to contend with come divisional
tourney time.
“They’re a really good match,”
Whitefish coach Chris Schwaderer said. “They compliment each other.
Connor is really savvy and good with his lobs. Austin has good
ground strokes. They both bring different things to the game that
makes them a well-rounded team.”
The pair beat Libby’s No. 1 team 6-2,
6-2 on Thursday before beating both Hamilton and Stevensville on
Saturday. Against Hamilton, Sattler hurt is left arm before the
match and had to play with only one arm.
“It was pretty bizarre to watch, but
they pulled it out,” Schwaderer noted.
As a team, Whitefish lost each of the
duals. Schwaderer said they had a chance in all of them, but failed
in their ability to close some tight matches.
“I really thought we should have and
could have beaten Libby,” Schwaderer said. “We had some
opportunities to close and we didn’t. We need to know how to finish
things out. We had the upper hand and let it get away.”
Schwaderer thinks next time they meet
Libby they’ll be in better shape.
“It’s early for everybody, but we’re
still developing,” he said. “As the year progresses, it will be
good to us.”
Whitefish used the duals on Saturday
against the Bitterroot teams as a measuring stick. Stevensville is
a tough squad and Hamilton is considered to have some of the best
hitters in the state.
“All our players went into the match
with Hamilton knowing they are strong,” Schwaderer said. “That
helped us play loose and it shows when we relax, we can play with
some good teams. A number of those matches could have gone either
way. They stepped up against the competition and that’s what I
want, for them to meet the challenge.”
Whitefish hosts Colum-bia Falls on
Thursday in a classic Northwest A rivalry.
“That will be big,” Schwaderer said.
“We match up well with them. I hope our guys take what they learned
last week and apply that on Thursday.”
Libby 4, Whitefish 3
Singles - Alex Cislo, Libby, def. Jake
Morison, 6-2, 6-3; Cree Maloney, Libby, def. Camp Kenyon, 6-2, 6-0;
Jason Schnackenberg, Libby, def. Skylar Munzing, 6-4, 6-1; Kolter
Larsen, Whitefish, def. Adam Kirschenmann, 6-0, 6-3.
Doubles - Connor Ellis/Austin Sattler,
Whitefish, def. Crawford Dinning/Lane Luscher, 6-2, 6-2; Casey
Beiser/Logan Blades, Whitefish, def. Ian Myslicki/Dan Leggins, 7-6
(7-2), 6-2; Nick Alspaw/Rob Hamilton, Libby, def. Holden
Roberts/Hans Munzing, 6-0, 6-2.
Stevensville 5, Whitefish 2
Singles - James Enzler, S, def. Jake
Morison, 7-6, 6-1; Josh Meier, S, def. Camp Kenyon, 6-2, 6-4; Kyle
Constantino, S, def. Skylar Munzing, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; John Severson,
S, def. Kolter Larsen, 5-7, 6-1, 7-5.
Doubles - Austin Sattler/Connor Ellis,
W, def. Travis Griffen/Garin McGram, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1; Casey
Beiser/Logan Blades, W, def. Nigel McCullum/Jordan Owens, 7-5, 6-1;
Joseph Daniels/Mattew Gaffe, S, def. Holden Roberts/Hans Munzing,
6-0 6-2.
Hamilton 6, Whitefish 1
Singles - Bob Huppert, H, def. Jake
Morison, 6-4, 6-2; Ethan Selig, H, def. Camp Kenyon, 7-5, 6-3; Cody
Tredik, H, def. Kolter Larsen, 6-2, 6-3; Daymon Halstead, H, def.
Hans Munzing, 6-2, 7-5.
Doubles - Austin Sattler/Connor Ellis,
W, def. Aaron Mead/Shawn Homyak, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 10-3; Cody
Lewis/Graham Silcher, H, def. Casey Beiser/Logan Blades, 6-3, 6-4;
Craig Weese/Reese Isherwood, H, def. Skylar Munzing/Holden Roberts,
6-2, 6-3.