Bulldog tennis roster stacked with talent

From top to bottom, the Bulldog boys tennis team is stacked with talent. While there isn’t a so called “star” on the roster, head coach Chris Schwaderer says his squad has the potential to tally plenty of team wins this season.

“I’m excited about what we have,” Schwaderer said. “We have a lot of seniors and have been building to this point. We are solid all the way across.”

About 20 boys are on the team. With those numbers, Schwaderer says it will be tough to make the starting rotation.

“It’s a competitive team, and it will be hard to find a starting spot,” he said. “We have players and then some. It’s just fun to see a solid lineup all the way through and it’s fun to have that kind of dilemma.”

The No. 1 doubles team from last season of Camp Kenyon and Connor Ellis look to be in top form. A handful of singles players should vie for the top position including two foreign exchange students, Matteo Barbuti from Italy and Simon Kall of Sweeden.

Schwaderer says Barbuti plays a European style from the baseline that should help the team rack up some dual wins.

A number of players trained in the off-season, including Austin Sattler, who Schwaderer said looks solid and more consistent. Skylar Munzing is another player that looks to have stepped up his game, along with Logan Blades, the coach noted.

“Some players are in midseason form,” Schwaderer said. “We’re not starting off as rusty.”

While snow still covers the local outdoor courts, the team has been traveling to The Summit in Kalispell to get some time on a court. The team tried to shovel the courts at Riverside Park, but the ice was too thick to break through. Predicted snow this week could further delay the melting process.

Whitefish’s first conference dual is March 29 against Columbia Falls at home.