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Chinook's Cortney Gunderson smacks a forehand during a dual meet with the Havre Blue Ponies on Tuesday at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts.
Havre High freshman Paige Nelson hits a volley during a singles match in the Havre/Chinook dual on Tuesday afternoon.
Blue Pony junior Alara Vogel swings at a ball during a doubles match against Chinook Tuesday in Havre.
Havre juinior Madison Huebsch hits a backhand during a girls doubles match against Chinook Tuesday.
Chinook's Brooke Nicholson reaches for a shot during a girls singles match against Havre on Tuesday afternoon.
Chinook's Mariah Swank, the defending Class B-C state singles champion, hits a forehand during a dual with the Havre Blue Ponies Tuesday at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts in Havre.
Winter returned to Havre Monday, but that didn’t stop high school tennis from taking the courts Tuesday. And, the defending Class B-C state champion Chinook Sugarbeeters couldn’t be stopped either.
In a varsity/junior varsity dual with the Havre Blue Ponies Tuesday afternoon at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts, the Beeters swept every match against the Blue Ponies. Leading the way for Chinook was defending state B-C singles champion Mariah Swank, who won three times, as well as Brooke Nicholson, who also won three times against Havre’s top players.
And though the results weren’t what the Blue Ponies were looking for, Havre head coach George Ferguson saw plenty of silver linings about the day.
“First, Chinook is a strong tennis team,” Ferguson said. “Coach (Thom) MacLean does an outstanding job with that program. And Mariah Swank and Brooke Nicholson are outstanding players. They are two of the very best in Class B-C, but they would stack up just fine in Class A, too. And all of Chinook’s girls did a great job.
“On the other hand, we are still a very inexperienced team, even at the varsity level right now,” Ferguson continued. “We just don’t have a lot of experience against top competition, and it shows at times. But I like our team a lot. I like their attitude and I like that they have a passion for tennis. I think they gained some valuable lessons against a very good Chinook team on Tuesday, and I think the things we’re learning and the things we’re working on will pay off in the long run.”
Though Havre didn’t get into the win column Tuesday, Ferguson said that the play of his doubles teams stood out, including juniors Ashley Hoffland and Meggan Smith, who lost two close matches. He also said that his newcomers, like Paige Nelson, Alex Donaldson, Megan Lindbloom, Marca Herron, Baylee Miller and others are getting better and better every time they step on the court.
“We had 10 girls playing on Tuesday who not only have never played high school tennis before, but very few who had any tennis experience whatsoever,” Ferguson said. “And while they may not always see it because of the final results, they are getting better and better every day, every match, every point. And that’s all I’m looking at right now. I’m looking at the big picture, the entire process, and in that regard, all of our girls are doing a great job. They have already come so far since March 9 when we started, and they are going to continue to grow and continue to learn and play this game, and by the time May rolls around, they won’t even remember what they were like when they first started. That’s the process, and we just have to continue to take it one step at a time.”
The Havre High girls and boys varsity tennis teams will get right back into action Friday and Saturday when the Ponies travel to Cut Bank for the 2015 Class A Invite.
Havre vs Chinook
Singles
Mariah Swank, CHI def. Tatiana Ralph, HAV, 8-1; Brooke Nicholson, CHI def. Paige Nelson, HAV, 8-0; Nicole McCracken, CHI def. Marca Herron, HAV, 8-1; Adrianna Standiford, CHI def. Baylee Miller, HAV, 8-2; Lizzie Hodgson, CHI def. Chido Chickwava, HAV, 8-0; Jamie Roth, CHI def. Meggie Zook, HAV, 8-3; Mariah Swank, CHI def. Paige Nelson, HAV, 8-1; Brooke Nicholson, CHI def. Tatiana Ralph, HAV, 8-3; Nicole McCracken, CHI def. Baylee Miller, HAV, 8-0; Sierra Swank, CHI def. Marca Herron, HAV, 8-0; Megan Pruttis, CHI def. Chido Chickwava, HAV, 8-0; Bailey Zumbrun, CHI def. Meggie Zook, HAV, 8-2; Nicole McCracken, CHI def. Paige Nelson, HAV, 8-3.
Doubles
Lauren Harshman, Cortney Gunderson, CHI def. Rainey Stoner/Madison Huebsch, HAV, 8-6; Hattie Niederegger/Stella Rigg, CHI def. Alara Vogel/Reggie Bernard, HAV, 8-1; Sierra Swank/Megan Pruttis, CHI def. Meggan Smith/Ashley Hoffland, HAV, 8-5; Adrianna Standiford/Lizzie Hodgson, CHI def. Megan Lindbloom/Alex Donaldson, HAV, 8-2; Bailey Zumbrun/Abbigail Connor, CHI def. Kaylee Nash/Maecee Titeca, HAV, 8-7 (11-9); Lauren Harshman/Cortney Gunderson, CHI def. Alara Vogel/Reggie Bernard, HAV, 8-1; Stella Rigg/Hattie Niederegger, CHI def. Rainey Stoner/Madison Huebsch, HAV, 8-1; Jamie Roth/Abbigail Connor, CHI def. Kaylee Nash/Maecee Titeca, HAV, 8-6; Adrianna Standiford/Lizzie Hodgson, CHI def. Ashley Hoffland/Meggan Smith, HAV, 8-6; Sierra Swank/Megan Pruttis, CHI def. Alex Donaldson/Megan Lindbloom, HAV, 8-0; Mariah Swank/Brooke Nicholson, CHI def. Rainey Stoner/Madison Huebsch, HAV, 8-4; Stella Rigg/Hattie Niederegger, CHI def. Alara Vogel/Reggie Bernard, HAV, 8-7 (7-2).
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