By Tiffany L. Rehbein
They have the tradition and they might have the depth to pull through the Divisional B/C tennis tournament with their fourth-straight title.
The Chester Coyotes will use the No. 1 doubles' team of Devan Lalum and Kali Wicks to grab some big points.
The duo is ranked No. 1 in the eight-team doubles' ranking system.
"They are a strong, strong doubles' team that should finish well for sure," Chester head coach Dustin Gordon said.
Lalum and Wicks, both seniors, went to state last year, but had different doubles' partners.
"I think an advantage is the handful of seniors with some experience coming back," Gordon said.
No. 1 singles' player Kali Nelson is ranked second in the 16-player singles' division.
At the Chinook/Chester Invitational, a preliminary meet just prior to the divisional tournament, Nelson placed second, falling to Lacey Schultz of Fort Benton.
Schultz is the No. 1-ranked singles' player in the division.
Senior Teresa Muncy, the No. 2 singles' player for Chester is ranked fourth in the division.
Senior Lisa Wickum is No. 3 and Kari Hawks is the No. 4 singles' player.
Sophomores Kendra Matkin and Mari Tempel are the No. 2 doubles' pair.
"The last half of the season everyone has been really consistent," Gordon said. "I think the fact that Chester has a little tradition of being strong is tennis is an advantage. I think we have a little bit of an edge as far as having tradition."
The top five singles and four doubles will qualify for the state tournament.
