From morning into night, Libby invite brings good competition

The Lady Loggers shined bright during the Libby Tennis Invitational on Saturday, with Mehki Sykes and Cierra Lucas the only local players to advance to the final championship round.

To save time, matches after the first overall round ended competition for the loser. Yet, despite generally good weather and over 10 hours of steady competition, most of the championship rounds were left undecided as the competitors ran out of daylight.

In the consolation rounds — played among those who were defeated in the first overall round — only Libby’s Ivy Pierce played the third and final round, losing to Cut Bank’s Jaycee Frydelund in a single 8-1 match.

For the boy’s 3 and 4 singles, there was no third round scheduled, and Troy’s Liam Hensley won all of his matches in the consolation round. Troy’s Austin McCully made it to the final consolation round, but the match was not played due to darkness.

In doubles, Libby’s Madison Snyder and Starlyn Mayberry advanced to the final round of consolation play, though the match had to be decided by “rock, paper, scissors” due to darkness.

Libby 1 and 2 singles player Abigail Creighton also made it to the final round of consolation play. Though the Libby senior is in her first year of playing tennis, her only defeat of the day came at the hands of Bigfork’s Ellie Berreth, who went on to qualify for the unplayed championship round.

“She held her own, and she’s got the biggest heart and the hustle of anybody on the team,” Libby Head Coach Kyle Hannah said. “Makes you wish that you had her for four years.”

The team did well overall, Hannah and assistant Coach Terry Oedewaldt agreed.

“You know, our kids came out and competed,” Hannah said. “It’s a tournament feel, and I think that they rose to the occasion, playing their hearts out.”

Oedewaldt, who oversaw the 3 and 4 singles play, said he has noted improvement throughout the season from the several newer players the team has.

“At practice they listen and they constantly try hard,” he said. “They’re constantly wanting to be better tennis players.”

Oedewaldt said he looks at the high schoolers as adults, rather than as children.

“If I show them respect, I think they’re more open to what I’ve got to offer them, and they’re going to have a better time,” he said. “And that’s our goal, is that they’re out here having fun.”

Troy Head Coach Milo Rogers said he felt his teams played well, noting that the invitational was the first time that doubles partners Allie Coldwell and Kaitlyn Downey faced tough competitive play, in the form of Cut Bank’s Megan Barrett and Riley Bird.

“It’s their first year trying it, and they’re both seniors,” he said. “They’re having fun with it. They’re learning to work as a team on the court, which is good to see.”

Though the two have plenty of experience working together in other sports, they are still working out how to translate that experience into tennis, he said.

“They’ve improved a lot,” he said.

With a loss in any championship round knocking players out of the tournament, Rogers and Prieve both said it was disappointing to see several losses after some promising early wins.

Prieve remarked on how well Katelynn Tallmadge, another first year player, competed. Tallmadge made it into championship play after two sets that both ended with tiebreakers.

Hannah and Oedewaldt echoed one another on wanting their players to take tennis as a lifelong pursuit.

“I do have a lot of returning players come back and say that they do play in college, and they take tennis classes and they enjoy it,” he said. “The love of the game is instilled in them, and it’s something they can play ‘til they’re 80, or more.”

Libby Tennis Invitational, April 21

Libby and Troy results

First round overall

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

Sebo Sanders, Libby, d. Austin McCully, Troy, 64, 6-1

AJ Faur, Troy, d. Zach Carter, Libby, 6-4, 6-3

Matthew Hock, Libby, Bye

Boys 3 and 4 Singles

Garret Caffrey, Columbia Falls, d. Liam Hensley, Troy, 6-0, 6-1

Bridger Danielson, Loyola, d. Daniel Shih, Libby, 6-0, 6-0

Cody Osterberg, Troy, Bye

Boys Doubles

Dillon Cummings and Alex Freund, Troy, d. Jaden Job and Gherrett Diehl, Loyola, 6-0, 6-0

Wyatt Reichenbach and Nate Frizzle, Bigfork, d. Cy Winslow and Jaymin Stever, Troy, 6-3, 7-5

David Ramsey and Dan Kaleva, Loyola, d. Colton Halvorson and Cayman Lee, Libby, 6-0, 6-1

Girls 1 and 2 Singles

Mehki Sykes, Libby, d. Melanie Benson, Loyola, 7-6(2), 3-6, 10-6

Isabelle Martineau, Libby, d. Madison Courser, Clark Fork, 6-1, 6-0

Ellie Berreth, Bigfork, d. Abigail Creighton, Libby, 6-0, 6-1

Girls 3 and 4 Singles

Annika Thorstenson, Libby, d. Orenda Derry, Troy, 6-1, 6-0

Cierra Lucas, Libby, d. Sarah Jihang, Loyola 6-2, 6-1

Lauren Bodlovic, Loyola, d. Ivy Pierce, Libby, 6-0, 6-0

Katelynn Tallmadge, Troy, d. Jessica Cunningham, Libby, 7-6(5), 7-6(5)

Elise Erickson, Libby, d. Katarina Walter, Cut Bank, 6-0, 6-0

Girls Doubles

Ahna Fox and Meredith Bedford, Bigfork, d. Madison Snyder and Starlyn Mayberry, Libby, 6-1, 6-1

Kaitlyn Downey and Allie Coldwell, Troy, d. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls, 6-2, 6-3

Morgan Snyder and Laurynn Lauer, Libby, d. Lily Overstreet and Shannia Schmidt, Bigfork, 6-2, 6-2

Jessika Jones and Marissa Wood, Libby, Bye

Championship first round

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

AJ Faur, Troy, d. Gus Meiwald, Cut Bank, 6-0, 6-1

Sebo Sanders, Libby, Bye

Boys 3 and 4 Singles

Cody Osterberg, Troy, d. Dillon Washington, Columbia Falls, 4-6, 6-1, 10-7

Boys Doubles

Dillon Cummings and Alex Freund, Troy, Bye

Girls 1 and 2 singles

Grace, Daniel, Loyola, d. Isabelle Martineau, Libby, 6-4,6-2

Mehki Sykes, Libby, Bye

Girls 3 and 4 singles

Annika Thorstenson, Libby, d. Jaycee Frydelund, Cut Bank, 6-4, 3-6, 10-8

Cierra Lucas, Libby, d. Courtney Anderson, Cut Bank, 6-2, 6-4

Elise Erickson, Libby, d Katelynn Tallmadge, Troy, 6-1, 6-0

Girls Doubles

Matlea Burke and Jacy Job, Loyola, d. Jessika Jones and Marissa Wood, Libby, 6-1, 6-2

Megan Barrett and Riley Bird, Cut Bank, d. Kaitlyn Downey and Allie Coldwell, Troy, 6-3, 6-0

Morgan Snyder and Laurynn Lauer, Libby, Bye

Championship second round

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

Garret Caffrey, Columbia Falls, d. Cody Osterberg, Troy, 6-3, 6-4

Warren Castor, St. Ignatius, d. AJ Faur, Troy, 7-6(3), 6-1

Teddy Heuchling, Loyola, d. Sebo Sanders, Libby, 6-4, 6-1

Boys Doubles

Dawson Matt and Colby Kraft, Cut Bank, d. Dillon Cummings and Alex Freund, Troy, 6-0, 6-1

Girls 1 and 2 singles

Mehki Sykes, Libby, d. Hannah Schweigert, Columbia Falls, 6-0, 6-2

Girls 3 and 4 singles

Cierra Lucas, Libby, d. Annika Thorstenson, Libby, 6-2, 6-2

Lauren Bodlovic, Loyola, d. Elise Erickson, Libby, 6-2, 6-2

Girls Doubles

Megan Barrett and Riley Bird, Cut Bank, d. Morgan Snyder and Laurynn Lauer, Libby, 6-4, 6-2

Championship final round

Girls 1 and 2 singles

Mehki Sykes, Libby, vs. Ellie Berreth, Bigfork, TBD

Girls 3 and 4 singles

Lauren Bodlovic, Loyola, d. Cierra Lucas, Libby, 6-1, 6-0

Consolation first round

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

Zach Carter, Libby, d. Jason Ihrig, Loyola, 6-0, 6-4

Austin McCully, Troy, Bye

Boys 3 and 4 Singles

Liam Hensley, Troy, d. Daniel Shih, Libby, 6-4, 6-2

Boys Doubles

Lalo Bravo and Laurenz Ehlers, St. Ignatius, d. Cy Winslow and Jaymin Stever, Troy, 6-3, -06, 12-10

Colton Halvorson and Cayman Lee, Libby, Bye

Girls 1 and 2 Singles

Abigail Creighton, Libby, d. Anna Pickard, Columbia Falls, 5-7, 6-3, 10-8

Girls 3 and 4 Singles

Ivy Pierce, Libby, d. Sharaira First Rider, Cut Bank, 6-4, 6-2

Jessica Cunningham, Libby, d. Katarina Walter, Cut Bank, 6-2, 6-1

Girls Doubles

Madison Snyder and Starlyn Mayberry, Libby, d. Alexa Kelsey and Shaske, Clark Fork, 6-2, 6-4

Consolation second round

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

Austin McCully, Troy, d. Ben Johnson, Bigfork, 6-3, 6-4

Neils Getts, Columbia Falls, d. Zach Carter, Libby, 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-5

Boys 3 and 4 Singles

Liam Hensley, Troy, d. Gabe Lowe, Loyola 6-1, 4-6, 10-5

Boys Doubles

Lalo Bravo and Laurenz Ehlers, St. Ignatius, d. Colton Halvorson and Cayman Lee, Libby, 6-4, 6-3

Girls 1 and 2 Singles

Abigail Creighton, Libby, d. Madison Courser, Clark Fork, 6-1, 6-0

Girls 3 and 4 Singles

Ivy Pierce, Libby, d. Jessica Cunningham, Libby, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8

Girls Doubles

Madison Snyder and Starlyn Mayberry, Libby, d. Gwen Foust and Shay Bonny, 6-3, 6-3

Consolation final round

Boys 1 and 2 Singles

Austin McCully, Troy, vs. Neils Getts, Columbia Falls, Unplayed

Boys 3 and 4 Singles

Liam Hensley, Troy, no third round

Girls 3 and 4 Singles

Jaycee Frydelund, Cut Bank, d. Ivy Pierce, Libby, 8-1

Melanie Benson, Loyola, d. Abigail Creighton, Libby, rock/paper/scissors

Girls Doubles

Emma Daniel and McKenna Round, Loyola, d. Madison Snyder and Starlyn Mayberry, Libby, rock/paper/scissors