LRS tennis begins league competition with early success

In less than ideal weather conditions, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos tennis team faced Odessa-Harrington to begin league competition.

The team started in Harrington where they matched up against Odessa-Harrington and a single Colfax athlete on March 28.

Head Coach Liz Melville said the athletes had to compete in extreme weather conditions, as the wind raced through the court. Overall, Odessa-Harrington defeated LRS with a final score of 3-2.

Lura Potter is the only athlete playing for Colfax, and she travels with the Odessa-Harrington team. Melville explained Potter rotates in the No. 1 singles position with an athlete from the OH team, but on that Saturday, Melville wanted to make sure the No. 1 singles Bronco athlete Rose Melville faced both athletes.

In the first match, Rose Melville battled against Katie DeWulf in the No. 1 singles contest. Melville won the match 6-4, 6-0, earning the first victory for the Broncos.

In the No. 2 singles match, Emily Boutain defeated Dani Tebow 6-1, 6-1. Zoe Clark of OH defeated Megan Buriak 6-4, 7-5 in the No. 3 singles match.

Melville explained the Broncos defaulted both of the doubles matches, which shows as a loss for the team.

Rose Melville then faced Potter, who won the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Potter earned a trip to the state tournament last year and served as a solid opponent and good learning experience for Rose Melville.

On March 31, the Broncos hosted Davenport in Ritzville and again faced inclement weather with strong winds. The Broncos boys’ team defeated Davenport 5-0, while the girls’ team won 3-2.

Travis Ste. Marie defeated Rick Neumeyer 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 1 singles competition. Mark Wilbers stepped into the No. 2 singles position for the Broncos and defeated Danny Moldrem 6-2, 6-0.

The singles competition for the boys ended with Zane Swanger defeating Mathew Wright 6-4, 7-5 in the No. 3 singles match.

For the doubles teams, Kyle Canaday and Alex Wheeler continued their success by defeating Evan Powers and Drake Elwood 6-2, 7-5 in the No. 1 doubles contest. Zeth Swanger and Michael Wheeler won the No. 2 doubles match against Chuck Lehman and Kyle Edwards, 6-2, 6-3.

Rose Melville won the No. 1 singles match against Jackie Soto, 6-0, 6-0.

Carissa Peavey defeated Robbee Kieffer in the No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-2. Emily Boutain rounded out the day’s wins by defeating Danielle Johnson 6-1, 6-0.

Melville said the coaches were proud of the athletes for showing poise and mental toughness while playing in very windy conditions.