Plummer, Clark sisters lead Bulldogs in win

RATHDRUM — Declan Plummer scored a third set tie-break win at No. 1 boys singles, and the Clark sisters, Amy and April, remained undefeated on the season, leading Sandpoint to a 6-4 win over Lakeland in a 4A Inland Empire League tennis dual Thursday at sun-soaked Lakeland High School.

After falling in a close third set to Coeur d’Alene the previous day, Plummer pushed through for a big league win against Nathan Peck.

“The first set was a war with long, difficult points. When the second set came around, Declan seemed to get faster, frustrating Nathan as he tried to find a way to get the ball past Dec,” described Bulldog head coach Kent Anderson, calling it the match of the day. “The points were long and wild with many acrobatic volleys by both players. The third set tiebreaker was all Dec’s.”

The Clarks have now beaten three 5A opponents and one 4A to start the season, staking an early claim as the top girls doubles team in North Idaho. Allura Livingston and Jenny Slaveck were rock-solid in girls singles, with Slaveck’s powerful first serve proving to be a weapon.

Anderson was also pleased with a big win at No. 1 boys doubles by Charlie Johnson and Christian Story.

“They employed all the classic tools: big serves, strategic cross-courts and crisp volleys,” said Anderson of his freshmen. “Their improvement has been astounding over the last couple of weeks. Match-play makes a huge difference.”

Carter Johnson and Hadley Goodvin scored a nice win at No. 2 mixed in straight sets, with Goodvin’s baseline game and Johnson’s net game working well together.

The Lakeland coach tipped his hat to the Sandpoint program in defeat.

“We haven’t had many sunny days lately, so it was really nice to get out and compete with some great players from Sandpoint. Some hard fought matches today,” said Hawks coach Tyler Jacobs. “Kudos to coach Kent from Sandpoint, he has put together a great program.”

Sandpoint is at the Post Falls Tournament all day on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.

SANDPOINT 6, LAKELAND 4

BOYS SINGLES — No. 1, Declan Plummer, Spt., d. Nathan Peck, 4-6, 6-0, 10-4 (in super tiebreaker). No. 2, Jorge Bonacho, LL, d. Josh Jessen, 6-0, 6-2. No. 3, Jared Roth, LL, d. Terron Tvrdy, 6-2, 6-0.

BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1, Charlie Johnson/Christian Story, Spt., d. Ryan Cawley/Colin Rose, 6-4, 6-0. No. 2, Caleb Pearson/Joe Schumacher, LL, d. Pepe Weber/Benj Roger, 6-2, 6-2.

GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1, Allura Livingston, Spt., d. CC Viebrock, 6-1, 6-3. No. 2, Jenny Slaveck, Spt., d. Sole Jimenez, 6-0, 6-3.

GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1, April Clark/Amy Clark, Spt., d. Brenna Alexander/Anna Altsuler, 6-2, 6-4.

MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1, David Durfee/Abbie Gangier, LL, d. Noah Hastings/Alyssa Webster, 6-1, 1-6, 10-4 (super tiebreaker). No. 2, Carter Johnson/Hadley Goodvin, Spt., Goldie Dingman/Brandon Brown, 6-1, 8-6.