Blaine County prep tennis teams are drawing closer and closer to decent weather, although the Wood River High School and Community School tennis teams had to move their first of two spring clashes indoors, Thursday in Hailey.
At Copper Ranch, Wood River won five of the six singles matches and added #2 wins in boys' and mixed doubles to nip The Community School 7-5. On Saturday, the Hillcrest Knights handed Wood River (4-1) its first loss by a tight 7-5 margin.
Girls' singles was very strong in both meets as Anna Chrysikopoulos, Maya Diem, Tanya Greenwood, Jessica Hamilton and Alison Rust picked up Wolverine victories.
Wood River coach Vicki Johnston said, "The Community School is always a close and exciting match. It was our first home match, with eight-game pro sets, indoors and a lot of great viewers. It was great to win our first home match."
Johnston juggled the Wolverine lineup and tried some new things and combinations Saturday in Idaho Falls. Wood River swept girls' singles and mixed doubles and came very close to either a draw or 7-5 team win when all was done.
The coach said, "It was fun to mix the lineup a bit with Hillcrest. That's where I noticed a new level of play. The singles players were patient but aggressive, and our doubles teams minimized their errors and worked on strategy.
"I was really pleased with the focus and determination the team seems to keep gaining with every match."
Meanwhile, the Cutthroats traveled to Twin Falls for non-conference matches and came up on the short end of an 8-4 score to Skyline of Idaho Falls. The Cutthroats girls did particularly well on the day.
Winning their matches were #2 Courtney Hamilton and #2 Emmy O'Reilly in split sets. The Community School swept girls' doubles with Cody Curran-Marin Shepardson and Emily Eshman-Ricki Eshman.
Wood River was due to host Twin Falls Tuesday, weather permitting, and makes its first visit to the Eastern Idaho Invitational at Idaho Falls Friday.
Results from last week:
Hillcrest 7, WRHS 5
Boys' singles: #1—James Weber (H) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 over Carlos Neme (WR). #2—Marcel Winkelmann (H) 6-1, 6-2 over William Eagan (WR). #3—Kevin Beck (H) 6-2, 6-0 over Johnny Burbridge (WR).
Girls' singles: #1—Tanya Greenwood (WR) 6-0, 6-0 over Stormie Hulet (H). #2—Jessica Hamilton (WR) 6-1, 6-1 over Jessica Johnson (H). #3—Alison Rust (WR) 6-0, 6-0 over Marguerite Clemens (H).
Boys' doubles: #1—Jesse Salmon and Riley Salmon (H) 7-6, 6-1 over R.J. Forgeon and Brendan Freund (WR). #2—Mark Linford and Dan Hall (H) 6-2, 6-2 over Alex Henning and Jordan Niedrich (WR).
Girls' doubles: #1—Beth Ann Baker and Kallie Ball (H) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 over Tessa Barrow and Maya Diem (WR). #2—Lindsay Woodland and Caitlin Ball (H) 6-0, 6-3 over Ellen Davis and Tory Lakey (WR).
Mixed doubles: #1—Morgan Pike and Anna Chrysikopoulos (WR) 6-4, 6-4 over Brandon Crofts and Olivia Hensley (H). #2—Ben Leopold and Ainsley Gourlay (WR) 7-6, 6-3 over Taylor Neville and Molly Thompson (H).
WRHS 7, CommSchool 5
Boys' singles: #1—Carlos Neme (WR) 8-3 over Travis Stone (CS). #2—Paul Davis (CS) 8-6 over Alex Henning (WR). #3—Jordan Niedrich (WR) 8-1 over Jamie Jameson (CS).
Girls' singles: #1—Anna Chrysikopoulos (WR) 8-4 over Courtney Hamilton (CS). #2—Maya Diem (WR) 8-1 over Emmy O'Reilly (CS). #3—Alison Rust (WR) 8-4 over Emma Wilander (CS).
Boys' doubles: #1—Tanner Flanigan and Peter Atkinson (CS) 8-4 over Morgan Pike and William Eagan (WR). #2—R.J. Forgeon and Brendan Freund (WR) 8-5 over Chet Stephens and Fynn Funk-Riehle (CS).
Girls' doubles: #1—Cody Curran and Marin Shepardson (CS) 8-3 over Tessa Barrow and Kami Doan (WR). #2—Ricki Eshman and Emily Eshman (CS) 8-1 over Jessica Hamilton and Ellen Davis (WR).
Mixed doubles: #1—Wyatt Bunce and Jessie Curran (CS) 8-5 over Karl Fostvedt and Tanya Greenwood (WR). #2—Ben Leopold and Ainsley Gourlay (WR) 8-3 over Jackson Bates and Melissa Becker (CS).
