PREP TENNIS: Sandpoint picks up wins over Pullman, Southridge at Lewiston Invite

LEWISTON — Despite missing some key players, Sandpoint pulled out a 7-5 win over Pullman High on Day 1, and then went on to beat Southridge High 12-2 on Day 2 of the Lewiston Elite Invitational held April 19-20 at Lewiston High.

AGAINST LEWISTON 

The Bulldogs suffered a 9-5 loss, but had some great individual performances in their first match Friday. In boys singles, Jacob Dawson displayed his explosiveness after a 6-0, 6-2 win.

“He was moving well & closing in hard on the net whenever he got a short ball to attack,” head coach Kent Anderson said.

In the girls singles, Sandpoint took three out of four matches. Pepper Rickert notched another 6-0, 6-0 flawless victory and Bella Bailey stepped up to replace Neva Reseska in the No. 2 spot and won 6-0, 6-3.

“Bella played with consistency and precision as she kept the ball moving side to side while adding well placed drop shots.”

Donna Tutin also picked up a win in the No. 4 spot, her first win at the varsity level.

In boys doubles, Ethan Ballard and Nathan Duke overcame some strong opponents to win a third set super-breaker. After losing the first set 7-6, the duo regrouped and rolled through the second and third sets. 

Lewiston 9, Sandpoint 5

BOYS SINGLES — No. 1 Jacob Dawson, SPT, d. J.J. Pacheco, 6-0, 6-2. No. 2 Lorenzo Aprati, LEW, d. Matthew Norton, 6-3, 8-6, 10-8. No. 3 Dylan Smith, LEW, d. Mason Blaser, 6-4, 6-1. No. 4 Asher Feucht, LEW, d. Luke Wikoff, 6-0, 6-3.

GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1 Pepper Rickert, SPT, d. Lauren Remacle, 6-0, 6-0. No. 2 Bella Bailey, SPT, d. Alana Ramos, 6-0, 6-3. No. 3 Presley Klein, LEW, d. Hannah Fisher, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. No. 4 Donna Tutin, SPT, d. Skye VanTrease, 6-1, 6-3.

BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1 Ethan Ballard/Nathan Duke, SPT, d. Drew Hartwig/Jackson Lather, 6-7, 6-1, 10-2.  No. 2 Wes Heiss/Clayton Lee, LEW, d. Brennan Johnson/Fisher Dail, 6-2, 6-3.

GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1, Lynsie Bren/Olivia Bren, LEW, d. Sydney Webb/Aubrey Knowles, 6-3, 6-3. No. 2 Cathryn Ho/Eliza Pfaff, LEW, d. Lily Evans/Mya Vorhies, 6-4, 6-2.

MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1 Allie Olson/Cayden Behler, LEW, d. Berkeley Cox/Noah Wagner, 7-6, 6-4. No. 2 Alexis Keler/Brennan Rice, LEW, d. Elly Tutin/Caden Martz, 6-4, 6-1.

AGAINST PULLMAN

In the second match Friday, Sandpoint played a little more relaxed after acclimating to the wind in Lewiston and notched a 7-5 win over the Greyhounds.

Dawson dominated again in boys singles, winning 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 1 spot. Matthew Norton bounced back after a loss against Lewiston with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win.

Rickert took on Dianna Gutierrez, a big hitter with giant serves, but still prevailed with another 6-0, 6-0 win. 

“She was pushed hard in several points which is exactly what she needs in her march toward state,” Anderson said.

In boys doubles, Ballard & Duke found themselves in another dogfight, but outlasted their opponents for a win. Fisher Dail and & Brennan Johnson cruised to an easy 6-0, 6-0 shutout. 

In girls doubles, Lily Evans and Mya Vorhies had to work a bit to win their first set, but rolled through the second set. Anderson said the pair had great volleys, returns, and were consistent.

Elly Tutin and Martz looked strong again versus Pullman. Anderson said Martz was quick at the net, poaching volleys, which were set up by Tutin’s strong ground strokes. 

Sandpoint 7, Pullman 5

BOYS SINGLES — No. 1 Jacob Dawson, SPT, d. Reed Newell, 6-0, 6-1. No. 2 Matthew Norton, SPT, d. Nathan Sutton, 6-2, 6-2. No. 3 Daniel Schertenleib, PUL, d. Mason Blaser, 6-2, 6-0.

GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1 Pepper Rickert, SPT, d. Dianna Gutierrez, 6-0, 6-0. No. 2 Amy Fugh, PUL, d. Bella Bailey, 6-2, 6-1. No. 3 Johanna Mueller, PUL, d. Hannah Fisher, 6-2, 6-4.

BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1 Ethan Ballard/Nathan Duke, SPT, d. Aditya Bose-Bandyopadhyay/Mir Park, 6-3, 1-6, 10-8. No. 2 Brennan Johnson/Fisher Dail, SPT, d. Daniel Lin/Lucas Wang, 6-0, 6-0.

GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1, Lynnsey Biorn/Duan Park, PUL, d. Sydney Webb/Aubrey Knowles, 7-6, 7-6. No. 2 Lyneth Calderon-Lopez/Brynnlee Jacobs, PUL, d. Lily Evans/Mya Vorhies, 6-4, 6-2.

MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1 Azriah Seeber/Caleb Snider, PUL d. Berkeley Cox/Noah Wagner, 6-4, 6-4. No. 2 Elly Tutin/Caden Martz, SPT, d. Shanelle Tran/Charles Liu, 6-1, 6-3.

AGAINST SOUTHRIDGE

Despite playing extremely short-handed, the Bulldogs pulled out a 12-2 victory, winning all five of their three-set tiebreaker matches Saturday. 

Sandpoint mixed up their lineup, putting players in spots they do not usually play in. Aubrey Knowles and Sydney Webb, who usually play No. 1 girls doubles, moved into the singles lineup and completely controlled their opponents. 

“Whenever doubles specialists can move into singles and adjust their game and win against a team of this caliber, that’s a very good sign,” Anderson said. 

Rickert dominated in girls singles against another strong opponent. Anderson said there were lots of big shots by both players and that Rickert’s serve was "smoke."

In boys singles, Dawson faced off against another big hitter and it took him a full set to adjust to his power. Once he did, Dawson wore his opponent down and won thanks to great ball placement. In the No. 2 spot, Norton defeated Ashton Joshi 13-11 after a hotly contested third set breaker.

“This was Matthew’s strongest match of the season,” Anderson said. “He was playing with control and exhibited his power at all the right times. I couldn’t be happier with his hitting strategy.” 

Lane Harris & Colby Dyk were called into service and both picked up wins. Harris played No. 2 doubles with Dail and Dyk jumped into No. 2 mixed doubles with Fisher. Anderson said Harris’ serves were accurate with excellent placement which allowed Dail to control the net; the duo won after a nail-biting third set tiebreaker. As for mixed doubles, Anderson said Fisher played her best match of the year and that Dyk played with quickness and speed, which complimented Fisher’s consistency. 

In the No. 1 mixed doubles spot, Elly Tutin and Martz won in straight sets, but had some tense moments as they were trying to close things out. 

“Until the last three games, they were completely dominating and I never really was worried, but their opponents were not giving up without a fight,” Anderson said. “Ultimately, Elly’s power and Caden’s tenacity at the net prevailed.”

Sandpoint hosts Lakeland today at Travers Park.

Sandpoint 12, Southridge 2

BOYS SINGLES — No. 1 Jacob Dawson, SPT, d. Kyle Chan, 3-6, 6-2, 10-5. No. 2 Matthew Norton, SPT, d. Ashwin Joshi, 6-3, 3-6, 13-11 No. 3 Skylar Phanekham, SOU, d. Fisher Dail, 6-2, 6-2. No. 4 Caden Martz, SPT, d. Ryker Sexton, 6-2, 6-4.

GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1 Pepper Rickert, SPT, d. Courtney Tran, 6-0, 6-0. No. 2 Sydney Webb, SPT, d. Reese McKay, 7-5, 6-0. No. 3 Aubrey Knowles, SPT, d. Arianna Gutierrez, 6-2, 6-0. No. 4 Averi Beauchamp, SOU, d. Donna Tutin, 6-2, 6-2.

BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1 Ethan Ballard/Nathan Duke, SPT, d. Calvin Collette/Carter Platt, 6-1, 6-1. No. 2 Lane Harris/Fisher Dail, SPT, d. Parker Collette/Jake Langdon, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.

GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1 Berkeley Cox/Mya Vorhies, SPT, d. Erin Gaevara/Angel Joshi, 7-6, 1-6, 10-7. No. 2 Lily Evans/Bella Bailey, SPT, d. Chanel Beauchamp/Ava Kumar, 6-3, 6-7, 10-6.

MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1 Elly Tutin/Caden Martz, SPT, d. Haley Schmidt/Mitchell Lee, 6-2, 7-5. No. 2 Hannah Fisher/Colby Dyk, SPT, d. Halle Harris/Caiden Cordova, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.