MISSOULA — With the girls singles championship an open book — last year’s winner Ava Bellamah of Missoula Loyola graduated — Chinook’s Rilee Molyneaux headlined the list of quarterfinalists after the first day of the Class B/C state tennis tournament on Thursday.
Molyneaux, last year’s runner-up to Bellamah, won first- and second-round matches to set up a match against Three Forks’ Malia Eriksson in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Also reaching the quarterfinals: Simms’ Kayle Zietske against Choteau’s Kylie Kovatch; Jefferson’s Bailee Silvonen against Superior’s Jose Crabb; and Fairfield’s McKenzie Swenson going against Missoula Loyola’s Katie Reed-Smith.
In girls doubles, Kamree Pearson of Fairfield is making a push for another state title this season, albeit with a different playing partner.
Paired with Keira Bender — Pearson won the doubles championship with Maya Wilson last year — the Fairfield duo reach the quarterfinals with two wins on Thursday.
Pearson and Bender will take on Superior's Perri Jasper and Cami Quick in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Townsend is represented by two doubles teams in the quarterfinals. Violet Collins and Bryleigh Erickson will play Bailey Anderson and Jorja Morris of Simms, and Chloe Flynn and Carsyn O’Dell will take on Caitrin Harrington and Sammy McHugh of Missoula Loyola.
Also in girls doubles, Kayl and Kyal Hadley of Baker will play Trinity Vandenbos and Urika Delica of Conrad.
On the boys side, Kaleb Sawyer of Simms, Olander Bork of Valley Christian and Kaje Ramey of Cut Bank are into the singles semifinals. The fourth semifinalist will be determined Friday morning after Valley Christian's Ross Cruikshank and Cut Bank's Dallas Berkram had their quarterfinal match postponed due to rain.
The Cruikshank/Berkram winner will play Simms' Sawyer, who advanced to the semis with a 6-4, 6-1 win in the quarters. The other semifinal will pit Ramey against Bork, as both cruised in their Thursday matches. Bork, a freshman, played in the singles final last year as an eighth grader.
In boys doubles, Valley Christian's Nick Karvandi and Ayden Fisher got a straight-set win in the first round and will meet Fort Benton's John Goldhahn and Kelton Villeaux in the quarterfinal round Friday.
Conrad's Alan VanDyke and Noah Walter and Terry's Luke Holden and Ethan Boyer also earned straight-set wins in the first round. Holden/Boyer will meet Dawson Hoaglin and Fletcher DeGroot of Valley Christian in the quarterfinal, while VanDyke/Walter will face Missoula Loyola's Declan Harrington and Zach Munding. Munding is gunning for his second state championship in as many weeks, as he won the Class B state golf title last week in Shelby.
The final quarterfinal match will put Cut Bank's Kellan Cassidy and Ray Dagel against Conrad's Linkyn Denzer and Evan Walter.
