LIBBY COACHES EXCITED FOR WHAT TENNIS SEASON HOLDS
March 20, 2018 at 9:30 am | By BENJAMIN KIBBEY The Western News
JESSIKA JONES (BENJAMIN KIBBEY/THE WESTERN NEWS)
Libby High School’s tennis coaches are upbeat about both teams after their first few practices.
The Lady Loggers have 21 players, and Head Coach Kyle Hannah said he is excited to see the competition for the 10 varsity spots.
“I am extremely happy with what I’m seeing so far,” Hannah said.
Six of nine returning varsity girls have state competition experience from last year, he said. “So they should be able to carry our girls team pretty far this year.”
The large number of freshmen girls who have come out also bodes well, Oedewaldt said.
“Most of my juniors and seniors are the kids that really want to win, but there’s a few freshman that have that competitive edge,” Hannah said.
Hannah and Oedewaldt agreed that the players who just want to have fun are as welcome as those who want the top spot.
“It doesn’t matter to us if they want to compete, if they just want to be social,” Oedewaldt said. “We just hope they learn the game so they can have that for their life.”
Hannah said he thinks the team gets a few more players that way, including those who, as they learn the game, find they do want to compete.
On the boys team, some of the players have never picked up a racquet before, but they are applying themselves, some even staying after practice to keep hitting, Oedewaldt said.
“They’re trying. They’re trying hard,” he said.
“I’m pleasantly surprised with the effort that the kids are showing for not ever really picking up a racquet and hitting,” Hannah said. “They’re really listening, they’re trying to do stuff.
While they may do some things wrong, it’s just inexperience, not bad habits that need to be broken, he said.
“And once they figure out that muscle memory of how to actually swing and hit a tennis ball, it’s going to come along a lot smoother for a lot of these kids,” he said.
Boys with varsity experience may serve as leaders for the team, such as sophomore Sebo Sanders, Hannah said.
“(He) will have to just take the bull by the horns and take that leadership role,” he said. “And I think whatever he does, kids will follow.”
Libby will have their first matches at Polson on March 23 starting at 9 a.m. They will face Polson and Hamilton.
Libby tennis will be at home for the first time on Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. for the Libby Invitational.
PIRATES LOOK TO RELOAD
March 15, 2018 at 11:59 am | By Jason Blasco
FORMER POLSON Pirate player Colin Kenney will be difficult to replace in the 2018 season. However, Coach Bob Hislop is confident he will have several players ready to elevate their level of play as his Pirates get ready for the start of the season. (Jason Blasco/Lake County Leader)
The Polson boys tennis team will be filling the void after losing four Class A all-state tennis players, but this year, like every year, Pirates’ coach Bob Hislop anticipates his team will adjust in order to compete.
Tennis, like every single MHSA-sanctioned sport, will change the competitive dynamics and landscape of their sport with teams like Libby and Ronan moving back up from Class B to Class A for the 2018 season.
The Pirates lost senior leaders Colin Kenney, Cadis Chowning, Matt Sitter and Jaron Morgan headed into the start of the season.
Hislop acknowledges his team is losing a lot but also expressed optimism his current Pirates will rise to the challenge.
“The boys lost a ton when we lost Sitter, Chowning, Colin and Jaron because every one of those guys were all-state last year,” Hislop said. “That group is a pretty big bunch to pick up.”
In order to compensate for the losses, some of the veteran Pirate tennis players have put in significant work over the summer, according to Hislop.
“We do have a pretty extensive summer program and we will still have Caden Foreman-Webster and Johnny Moore,who are two players that lived on the court this summer,” Hislop said. “(Johnny and Caden) were able to get a lot of work done and will see the fruits of their labor in some shape or form this season.”
Polson also hopes to see the emergence of Sam Schultz and Carson McDaniel, who both qualified for the MHSA Class A state tournament in Kalispell but didn’t place.
“Carson was a very solid player, even though mobility was one of his issues but he has great hands on the team,” Hislop said of the Pirates’ all-state golfer.
The Pirates will also have a couple of sophomores that could potentially make up for a lot of the senior leadership they lost from last season. Trevor Schultz and Kendal Foreman-Webster are two players Hislop said he would like to “step up.”
“They will take some lumps in the regular season but they are good enough athletes they will catch up during the season,” Hislop said. “They will develop and be competitive right now. That is the nice part.”
Hislop isn’t the type of coach to name a lot of underclassmen that don’t have a lot of documented court experience in order to keep expectations reasonable. However, he knows he has a few players that could be solid anchors headed into the future.
“We have some lesser known seniors and a lot of new kids since we haven’t started yet,” Hislop said. “With the rest of the team, we should have some hopefuls that have potential.”
Also this year, the boys MHSA Class A division will be down.
“I don’t think the division is super strong this season,” Hislop said. “The Whitefish boys will be good. We hope we will reload even though we will take our lumps. We have five quality coaches and kids that are willing to work and want to get better. This season should be a fun process.”
PIRATES LOOK TO RELOAD
March 15, 2018 at 11:59 am | By Jason Blasco
THE POLSON Lady Pirates tennis team will try to replace its No. 1 player Cassie Carlyle as they prepare for this season. Last year Carlyle finished second in the MHSA Class A state tennis singles. The Lady Pirates have won 10 of their last 11 team divisionals. (Jason Blasco/Lake County Leader)
