Beagle wins divisional tennis title; seeks state gold

Libby tennis standout Ryan Beagle is a three-time state qualifier with two state bronze medals and two Western A division titles.

But his goal hasn't changed and that is to win a state championship in Montana.

Beagle, a junior, will win gold again starting Thursday in Kalispell at Flathead Valley Community College, which is hosting this year's state tournament.

Play starts Thursday with the first round and quarterfinals. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Friday.

Beagle won its second division title in a row last week, also at FVCC. He won a straight battle against Polson's Torrin Ellis 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

Ellis is just one of several opponents who Libby head coach Kyle Hannah believes will pose a challenge for Beagle in his quest for a championship.

There are six in Class A with a chance to win state, so it's a loaded field, Hannah said in an interview with The Western News. But it would be nice to get one. Jackie Mee was our last individual champion in 2009.

Mee was a standout golfer, tennis and basketball player for the Loggers before starring on the Carroll College women's golf team. Mee placed third in high school in 2010.

Another potential opponent for Beagle is defending Class A champion Andy Purcell of Hamilton. Beagle and Purcell met at Polson earlier this season and Beagle won that match. Purcell won the Class A Southwest Divisional last week.

Ryan has aspirations of playing college tennis and has worked hard to achieve that, Hannah said. Last summer and this winter he spent more time playing tennis and going to the gym.

Much of Ryan's success can be attributed to him playing and hitting with Tyler Andersen, Hannah added.

Andersen, who is valedictorian this year at Libby High School, did not reach the state tournament like he did a year ago. But Loggers assistant coach Terry Oedewaldt said it's a testament to Northwest A's field depth.

Tyler is a better player this year than last year, but the field was extremely strong and deep, Oedewaldt said. And he was dealing with a seriously sprained ankle.

Considering the Beagles' capabilities, Oedewaldt pointed out many positive qualities.

Ryan has incredible speed and his rally tolerance wins him many matches. He just doesn't give up and his willingness to put in the extra time makes a big difference, Oedewaldt said.

Hannah agreed, saying: “If he's down 2-5, it doesn't matter. He does not give up.

Beagle is Libby's only state representative this year, but both coaches cited the improvements of many of the rest of the team, some of whom narrowly missed qualifying for the state tournament.

Andersen was among the Logger players who lost in the consolation semifinals, where a win is needed to secure a berth in state.

Andersen fell 6-2, 6-2 to Ronan's Beau Decker. Decker, who qualified for state a year ago, finished third in the division this year.

In girls' singles, Libbys Marissa Hollingsworth was 1-1 in the championship round before winning two consolation matches. She later fell 6-0, 6-4 to Whitefish's Liesel Brust in the consolation semifinals.

Marissa and Maggie Fantozzi really made an effort to take the No. 1 and 2 spots and took on a lot of players who were 1 and 2 before this season and they started winning some of those matches at the end of the season, said Oedewaldt.

Fantozzi won a first-round match before losing to eventual singles champion Lexi Oberholtzer in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, she won two matches before falling to Whitefish's Alivia Lusko.

In girls doubles, Libby's No. 1 team of Ellie Andreessen and Allie Thorstenson was 2-2 and the No. 2 team of Elaina Covington and Kaitlyn Canary also reached the consolation semifinals.

We were close to sending a truckload of loggers upstate, Hannah said. We appreciate our children and fans and how well they behave. They treat tennis and cheer for tennis as it should be.

We would also like to thank all seniors for their commitment to the team and a number of former coaches.