Getts, Bartkoski take divisional crown
Lexie Bartkoski hammers a return in the doubles final against Kenzie Clay and Jordan Quinn of Polson. The gilrs won in straight sets.
The Columbia Falls tennis teams will send six athletes to the state tournament in Great Falls this week - three girls and three boys - following their performances at the Northwest A divisional tourney in Libby this weekend.
On the girls side, the doubles team of Marissa Getts and Lexie Bartkoski beat Polson's Kenzie Clay and Jordan Quinn to take the championship 6-0, 7-6 (7-3). Getts and Bartkoski are the first Wildkat doubles champs since Melissa Smalley and Kristi Brunett in 2000.
In singles, Gabrielle Stenger qualified for state taking fourth place. She lost to Polson's Sara Robinson 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-2 in the third place bracket. As a team, the girls took second behind Polson.
Girls coach Jerry Smalley was happy with his team.
"I'm proud of the Wildkats," he said. "They all stepped up their games during the season, and the result was a fine second-place team finish at divisionals."
While they didn't make it to state, Smalley noted fine performances from all the team, including Emma Covill and Gabby Keller, with a first round win in doubles, and Natalie Law and Andria Getts, who scored points for the squad in singles.
On the boys side, brothers Vadim and Miroslav Zvyagelskiy battled their way to the doubles final but lost to Polson's Justin Evertz and Will Davey by a whisker, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
Parker Johnson also qualified for state. He took third place after coming back to beat Libby's Crawford Dinning 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). Johnson was down 0-5 in the last set to take the match and was down 0-3 and 1-4 in the tie breaker.
"It was a huge comeback," coach Gary Yee said.
Yee said the Zvyagelskiy brothers also had a good chance of winning the final. They were up in the second set 5-4 but couldn't close it out and were up 4-3 in the final set and couldn't shut the door.
"It was the first time the team played in the heat, and it showed," Yee said.
Still, he was pleased with the boys' performances, and with good placing in the divisional tourney, they have better seeds at state. The Zvyagelskiys are seeded second, and Parker is seeded third. Brian Marcille and Jordan Mueller also made a run at a state berth but fell just short, losing in the consolation final.