No. 1 Morison picks up win at Bigfork
Jake Morison had to scramble a bit on
Saturday, but after some strategic tweaks, the Bulldogs No. 1
singles tennis player picked up his first win of the season.
Morison defeated Bigfork’s Dylan Rickenbac in three sets, including
a 7-2 win in the final frame.
“Jake is looking good,” Whitefish coach
Chris Schwaderer said. “We made some adjustments in the last match,
then he rolled. It’s a good sign.”
Whitefish’s Connor Ellis tallied a
three-set win over Seth Rossman in the No. 4 singles slot, while
Hanz Munzing and Holden Roberts earned a win at No. 1 doubles,
although Bigfork took the dual at 4-3.
“I knew going in that Bigfork was tough
and had some good players returning,” Schwaderer said.
Whitefish’s lineup wasn’t at full
strength, with a number of top singles players missing due to other
obligations.
“We had a young and inexperienced
lineup, and I think they gave Bigfork a good battle across the
board,” Schwaderer. “I think this team has incredible room for
improvement. They all have some raw ability that needs to be
refined a little bit.”
Whitefish hosts Libby on Thursday in a
conference dual that should be exciting among the top seeded
players.
“That’s going to be a big one,”
Schwaderer said. “They are the defending conference champs and are
returning some real athletes.”
A potential showdown between Morison
and Libby’s top hitter Cree Maloney could feature two netters vying
for divisional and state titles later in the spring. The dual is
slated for 3 p.m. at Riverside Park.