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A tennis 3-peat for the Sugarbeeters

One year ago, on the tennis courts of Missoula, the Chinook girls tennis team set a Class B-C state record for points at the state tournament. Fast forward one year, and the Sugarbeeters were even better.

Last weekend in Missoula, the Beeters captured their third consecutive B-C state championship, dominating the field with a tournament-record 56 points. No team even came close to Chinook, with Libby and Fairfield tying for second with 21 points and Missoula Loyola scoring 20.

For veteran head coach Thom MacLean, it was his fourth state championship, and he said the three-peat the Beeters just pulled off was indeed special.

"We knew coming in we would be the team to beat," MacLean said. "But, that even made me more nervous because if you don't perform, someone else is going to take it away from you. But these kids performed really well. They have played great all year long, and they did this weekend too."

Depth and medals was the key to Chinook's success in Missoula. The Beeters simply had too much firepower for anyone to threaten them, and the biggest example of that was in doubles, where Chinook pulled off a rare 1-2 finish.

In the all-Chinook finale, the senior duo of Cortney Gunderson and Lauren Harshman bested teammates Hattie Niederegger and Sierra Swank 6-2, 6-1. For Gunderson and Harshman, it was the culmination of a year of waiting as the tandem finished second in the 2015 state meet.

"Those girls played against each other all year," MacLean said. "And they really made each other better. And as the season went along, they all got better and better. So we talked throughout the year that there was the possibility that they could play each other in the state championship match, so for me, it wasn't a total surprise."

Nothing Chinook did in Missoula came as a surprise.

Senior Brooke Nicholson was able to grab a third-place finish in singles for the second year in a row. One of the favorites to win the B-C title, Nicholson fell a match short after losing a three-set heartbreaker to Lone Peak's Luisa Locker in the semifinals. It was unfortunate that the two were paired on the same side of the draw, and while Locker went on to win the state championship, Nicholson showed her resolve by rebounding to win two straight matches and finish third. It was Nicholson's third straight All-State performance in tennis.

But, Chinook wasn't done in singles. While Nicole McCracken and Jamie Roth scored points for the Beeters, sophomore teammate Megan Pruttis made a great run to finish sixth overall. After losing in the second round, Pruttis won four matches in a row to get to the medal round, including knocking off Cut Bank star Dakota Dosch along the way. Pruttis' finish gave the Beeters six All-State performers and only added to their record-setting weekend.

"Brooke played so well," MacLean said. "She just ran into a great performance by Locker. But she's such a competitior, and it was great to see her come back and finish the way she did. Megan also did great. She won some big matches, and that was exciting to see her place like that."

At the end of a long weekend, all of Chinook's players did well. For the second year in a row, every Beeter in the field scored points, and this time around, the squad helped cement Chinook as a true tennis dynasty.

"It's special," MacLean said. "This group is special. They've accomplished a lot and I'm proud of them. It was a great weekend for us, and it was fun to see them go out there and do what they set out to do."

State B-C Girls

Final team scores: Chinook 56, Libby 21, Fairfield 21, Loyola 20, Townsend 20, Lone Peak 18, Bigfork 11, Cut Bank 7, Boulder 7, Fort Benton 7, Chester 5, Valley Christian 4, Darby 4, Baker 3, Philipsburg 3, Troy 3, Choteau 3, Conrad 2, Forsyth 2, Whitehall 2.

Individual Chinook Results

Singles

Brooke Nicholson

def. Felicity Kulaski (Baker), 6-0, 6-0; Def. Anna Espeland (Baker), 6-0, 6-0; Def Dakota Dosch (Cut Bank), QF, 6-1, 6-0; Lost to Luisa Locker (Lone Peak) SF, 1-6, 7-5, 3-6; Def Jessi Hamlin (Townsend), 6-0, 6-0; Def. Melanie Benson (Msla Loyala) 3rd, 6-1, 6-0.

Megan Pruttis

def. Jessi Hamlin (Townsend) 3-6.6-4, (15-13); Lost to Cassidy Clotfelter (Fairfield), 3-6, 6-4 (10-7); Def. Jamie Roth (Chinook), 6-1, 6-0; Def. Paige Johnson (Cut Bank), 6-3, 6-4; Def. Dakota Dosch (Cut Bank), 6-2, 6-4; Def. Casey Cummins (Loyola) , 6-3, 1-6, (10-4); Lost to Melanie Benson (Loyola), 3-6, 2-6; Lost to Jessi Hamlin (Townsend ) 6th, 3-6, 2-6

Nicole McCracken

lost to Maddie Powers (Boulder) 6-4, 5-7, (6-10); Def. Kira Thompson (Forsyth) 6-4, 6-3; Def. Anna Espeland (Baker), 6-1, 6-1; Def Vanessa Riphenburg (Choteau), 6-0, 6-0; Lost to Cassidy Clotfelter (Fairfield), 1-6, 2-6.

Jamie Roth lost to Luisa Locker (Lone Peak) 0-6, 0-6; Def. Pam Tronstad (Baker), 6-4, 6-2; Lost to Megan Pruttis (Chinook) 1-6, 0-6.

Doubles

Harshman/Gunderson

Def. Vossler/Charleton (Boulder) 6-2, 6-3; Def Konen/Townsend (Fairfield) QF 6-1, 1-6, 6-2; Def. Weilacher/Wicklund (Bigfork) SF 6-0, 6-0; Def. Niederegger/Swank (Chinook) 1st 6-2, 6-1.

Niederegger/Swank

Def Barrick/Boardner (Libby) 6-2, 6-3; Def Jones/Van Dyke (Conrad) 6-1, 6-2; Def Juedeman/Giles (Fort Benton) QF 7-5, 6-0; Def Yancy/Pierce (Townsend) SF 6-4, 7-5; Lost to Harshman/Gunderson (Chinook) 2nd 2-6, 1-6.

 

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