Blue Pony tennis teams start strong in Cut Bank

The weather wasn’t ideal for tennis, all teams were short-handed, and one team didn’t even make it to the tournament, but the courts were dry and the Havre Blue Ponies got their season started.

The Blue Pony boys and girls tennis teams found plenty of success at Saturday’s season-opening Cut Bank Invitational, in spite of 40-50 MPH wind gusts and chilly temperatures.

Havre crowned champions in four different brackets against players from Cut Bank and Conrad. Lewistown was scheduled to attend, but a tire blowout on the Eagles’ bus prevented them from making the trip.

And though Havre saw good results, Blue Pony head coach George Ferguson was more pleased with his team’s effort and focus, and the fact that the Ponies were finally on the courts for real.

“All the kids we took to Cut Bank were awesome,” Ferguson said. “It was rough up there. The wind blew very, very hard. But having barely practiced outside all season, I think they were all pretty excited to be on the courts without snow around them and just to be playing, many of them for the first time.

“I thought everybody had some good moments,” he added. “All of our freshmen and first-time players did an outstanding job, and I think they gained valuable experience from the tournament, which was really important. It was a good day for us. I’m proud of the kids for battling the conditions, and this is a great first step in our season.”

Sophomore Jeff Miller won three matches to capture the No. 1-2 singles championship on the boys side. Senior Zach Hellegaard finished fourth in the same bracket. Seniors Ned Malone and Brian Smith went 2-0 to win in the top double’s bracket, while freshmen Isaac Warp and Dustin Haas went 2-0 and placed first in the No. 3 bracket. Junior Noah Landgraf also won three matches and placed first in the No. 3-4 singles bracket.

On the girls side, junior Tatiana Ralph won three matches to place first in the No. 1-2 singles bracket. Seniors Haley Graham and Ellery Bresler teamed up to finish second in the No. 1-2 doubles bracket, while Madison Huebsch and Rainey Stoner placed fourth. Sophomores Ashley Hoffland and Megan Smith placed a solid third in the No. 3 doubles bracket, while sophomore Kaylee Nash won two matches and placed third in the No. 3 singles bracket.

“Everybody that made the trip played some good tennis at one point or another,” Ferguson said. “But more importantly, everybody who went gained some important and valuable experience. There’s a long way to go, we have a lot of work to do. But overall, Saturday was a really good start and it gave us something to build off of, so we accomplished what we set out to do.”

Havre is back on the road this Saturday as the Blue Ponies attend the Conrad Duals.

Cut Bank Invitational

BOYS

Singles 1-2

Jeff Miller (1st Place), def. Trenton Francom, CB, 8-0; def. Austin Padilla, CON, 8-0; def. Isaac Matt, CB, 8-4. Zach Hellegaard (4th Place), def. by Matt, CB, 8-4; def. Padilla, CON, 8-1; def. by Brett Peters, CON, 8-6.

Singles 3-4's

Noah Landgraf (1st Place), def. Jordan Castle, CB, 8-2; def. Zach Burns, CB, 8-2; def. Josh Biegler, CB, 8-0. Jamie Lieberg, def. Biegler, CB, 8-1; def. by Burns, CB, 8-1.

Doubles 1-2's

N. Malone/B. Smith (1st Place), def. Little Dog/Czech, CB, 8-3; def. Kraft/Jennings, CB, 8-7 (9-7); J. Sedahl/N/ Korb (4th Place), def. by Kraft/Jennings, CB, 8-1; def. by Little Dog/Czech, 8-1.

Doubles 3's

I. Warp/D. Haas (1dt Place), def. C. Popelka/D. Atkinson, CB, 8-3; def. L. Reutzel/B. Ostby, CB, 8-1.

GIRLS

Singles 1-2's

Tatiana Ralph (1st Place), def. Amy Bailey, CON, 8-5; def. Donelle Novak, CB, 8-0; def. Trinity Cox, CON, 8-6. Alara Vogel, def. by Dakota Dosch, CB, 8-0; def. by Novak, CB, 8-2.

Singles 3-4's

Kaylee Nash (3rd Place), def. by Lanae Salway, CB, 8-1; def. Isabelle Barnard, CB, 8-1; def. Valerie Anton, CB, 8-3.

Doubles 1-2's

E. Bresler/H. Graham (2nd Place), def. Anderson/Hoffman, CB, 8-5; def. by Kraft/Gobert, CB, 8-3. M. Huebsch/R. Stoner (4th Place), def. by Kraft/Gobert, CB, 8-0; def. by Anderson/Hoffman, CB, 8-3.

Doubles 3's

M. Smith/A. Hoffland (3rd Place) def. by Johnston/Johnston, CB, 8-4; def. Katrina/Lane, CB, 8-6.