By Mike Maltais
The Liberty Bell High School varsity boys’ tennis team is the object of growing attention from league opponents and non-league Caribou Trail League rivals alike as the Mountain Lions continue to stretch their season unbeaten streak with wins over Oroville, 4-1, and Pateros, 3-2, last week.
Coach Dave Schulz confirmed that he has heard comments lately from other coaches about the nine consecutive wins the Liberty Bell boys have notched on their rackets.
Oroville
In a windy home stand against Oroville on April 15, No. 1 and No. 2 boys’ singles players Carlos Perez and Josh Frey dominated their Hornet opponents with matching 8-1 wins playing pro sets.
No. 3 singles player Stoney Hulon dispatched his rival, 6-1, 6-0.
The first boys’ doubles team of Daniel Sonnichsen and Jesse Schulz had to work for the win in their first match, 7-5, but found their range to take the second match, 6-2.
D.J. Haley and Corey Diamond suffered the only team loss, 1-8, in a second boys’ doubles pro set.
The girls’ team lost, 1-4, in “some very close matches,” Schulz said.
Playing first and second girls’ singles, Erin Frey lost 1-6, 0-6, but won the second pro set, 8-3.
Carlee Wright put up a good fight in third girls’ singles that started with a win, 6-2, then lost, 4-6, and 8-10 in a tiebreaker.
Emily Alexander and Sydni Butler fell, 2-6, 3-6, in first girls’ doubles.
Logan Butler and Gracie Granstrom lost their first set, 4-6, won the second, 7-6, but lost the third, 2-6.
Pateros
Perez and Hulon led the way in first and second boys’ singles against the Billygoats on Thursday (April 17). Perez won 6-0, 6-0, and Hulon fought back from a 3-6 first set loss to win the next two, 6-4, 10-7.
Haley moved up to third boys’ singles but lost, 2-6, 1-6.
In a key first doubles match that cinched the team victory, Sonnichsen and Jesse Schulz won, 6-1, 6-4,
Frey and Diamond lost their second doubles, 6-0, 6-0.
“The boys are playing very well overall,” the coach said. “They’re keeping the ball in play and hustling.”
The Nannies swept the Lady Lions, 4-0, but Liberty Bell didn’t make it easy.
Erin Frey played both the first and second girls’ doubles pro sets, losing the first, 2-8, and the second, 7-9, the latter a “long, tough game” said coach Schulz.
Wright lost 2-6, 0-6, in third girls’ singles.
Sydni Butler and Alexander lost 2-6, 2-6, in first girls’ doubles.
In a marathon second doubles match,
Logan Butler and Sylvie LeDuc won the first set, 7-6, dropped the second, 4-6, and came up short in a 10-point tiebreaker.
“We have a number of beginning girls,” Schulz said of his Lady Lions, “but I’m seeing improvement with every game.”
The Mountain Lions were scheduled to host Entiat on Tuesday (April 22) provided that predicted rain didn’t postpone the match. Liberty Bell will travel to Chelan Thursday (April 24) for a non-league match against the Goats.
