Libby tennis splits dual on Troy's court

In Troy on Friday, the Libby boys held court against the Trojans in a dual tennis match between the neighboring schools, winning six of the seven matches. Troy’s girls eked out the team victory 3-2 during the balmy afternoon competition.

It was the first time Troy was able to put their skills to test in competitive matches this season after their scrimmage last Tuesday was called early because of rain, whereas Libby had a pair of duals on the same day to clear some of the early season cobwebs.

Libby head coach Kyle Hannah saw improvement in his team in their overall performance, but also in on area in particular. “I’m seeing more confidence in the kids since Tuesday, and that’s important,” he said.

Neither Hannah nor Troy coach Milo Rogers viewed the dual as a rivalry, but Hannah would like to see that change after Libby moves to class B. “I hope the intensity is elevated over the next couple of years. It would bring out the best in the players,” Hannah said.

In a battle of senior boys, Walter Briones dictated the action in his match against Dominic Chiaverini in the boys’ No. 1 singles match, winning 6-2 in both sets. Briones’ serve was especially impressive throughout the match, while Chiaverini gave several points away by double faulting. “I’m glad he’s not in B,” said Chiaverini of Briones, “I was glad to win as many games as I did; he’s a really good player.”

Troy assistant coach Nancy Prieve talked about what makes Briones such a challenging opponent. “He has a hard serve and a kick-serve, so he’s really tough to play against,” she said.

Competing in her first match of the year for the Loggers, No. 1 girls’ player junior Kaylene Hudson maintained control against Troy sophomore Allie Brown, earning 6-1 and 6-2 set victories. “Everything flowed pretty well for the first match of the season,” she said.

Hudson overcame some challenges she was having in practice earlier in the week. “I was having some issues with my serve in practice, but today it worked out well for me.”

For Troy, C.J. Beard stepped into unfamiliar territory in his match against Cody Wood. Beard usually plays doubles, but took on the challenge because his usual partner, Craig Helmrick, was unavailable for the match on Friday. Woods played well enough to take the match with 6-2 and 6-1 sets.

Filling the No. 1 doubles team for the Trojans was Alex Day and Brennan Olds. In a spirited match against Ryan Nagle and Gabe Peck, the Troy duo won in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.

Prieve said it was nice to have Olds back on the team after he took a year off from tennis. “He’s a real competitor, but he’s also out to have some fun,” she said.

In the only girls doubles match of the day, Troy’s Kaylee Stecher and Azure Stever proved to be too much for Isabelle Martineau and Jillian Hawthorne, winning 6-1, 6-1.

Rogers said he always enjoys the first matches of the season to see how other teams are playing and how his players stack up against them. “It’s also good to come out and get the first game jitters out. Now the kids know what areas they need to improve on,” he said.

The Loggers had a match scheduled against Stevensville on Saturday, however, the threat of rain led to its cancellation. The next match for the Loggers’ tennis squad isn’t until April 8 and 9, when they’ll head to Cut Bank for an eight-team tournament. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids to go up against players they wouldn’t see until state,” Hannah said.