Boys edge Bulldogs in tennis, top Libby, Bigfork, too

The Columbia Falls boys tennis team earned a hard-fought 4-3 win over Whitefish on April 15 in a competitive crosstown showdown, while the Wildkat girls squad dropped a 7-0 decision despite several tightly contested matches.

The Wildcat boys relied on a strong showing in singles play, winning three of four matchups to gain the upper hand. Sol Masters came back after dropping the first set to outlast Bjorn Bungener, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Bruno Feijoo Vazquez turned in a straight-set win, defeating Jack Flink 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), and William Oberholtzer pulled out two tiebreakers to edge Fin Hobart 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) in one of the day’s most dramatic matches.

In doubles, the team of Will Pickard and Silas Ypma helped seal the team victory with a three-set win over Walt Seigmund and Aaron Anderson, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

The Wildcat doubles team of Jackson Scholz and Jackson Bowler fell 4-6, 0-6, while Jack Austin and Connor Zumalt narrowly dropped a third-set tiebreaker to Whitefish’s Jack Shors and Charlie Oehlerich, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5-7).

On the girls side, Whitefish swept all seven varsity matches, though Columbia Falls’ Fiona Bryant nearly claimed a win in a marathon singles match against Sophie McCreedy. Bryant took the first set 6-2, dropped the second 4-6, and then fell in a match tiebreak 6-7 (1-7).

The teams had a busy day on April 17, picking up a sweep over Bigfork before winning a competitive matchup with Libby.

Against Bigfork, the Columbia Falls boys dominated in a 7-0 sweep, winning all matches in straight sets. Jax Ramage, Jackson Scholz, William Oberholtzer and Jack Austin all secured singles victories with solid play. The doubles teams - Will Pickard/Silas Ypma, Sol Masters/Bruno Vasquez and Jackson Bowler/Brady Heitz (by forfeit) followed suit to close out the shutout.

The Wildkat girls battled to a 4-3 win over Bigfork. Fiona Bryant led the charge with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 4 singles, while Apani Awua picked up a win by forfeit. In doubles, the No. 1 pairing of Alanis Petersen and Aliyah Arends came through in a close 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 three-set match, and the No. 3 team of Ava Scholz and Kristina Tamburelli posted a convincing 6-1, 6-1 win.

Later in the day, Columbia Falls hosted Libby in a tough set of matchups.

The girls team came out on top 5-2 behind strong singles performances from Apani Awua and Fiona Bryant. All three doubles teams contributed wins, with Alanis Petersen and Aliyah Arends edging their opponents 6-4, 7-5. Lucie Love and Campbell LaCasse bounced back from a second-set loss to win in a super tiebreak, while Ava Scholz and Kristina Tamburelli cruised in straight sets.

The boys team won a close 4-3 decision to Libby, thanks to strong efforts in doubles. Pickard and Ypma continued their strong chemistry with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles, and Scholz and Bowler added a win at No. 2. In singles, Bruno Feijoo Vazquez and William Oberholtzer each earned straight-set victories.