by Scott Sacry
The Bitterroot Valley high school tennis season is set to begin as Corvallis, Hamilton and Stevensville all have boys and girls tennis teams. All three schools have strong participation numbers this season. Darby was set to have a tennis team, but had to cancel the season due to low numbers and lack of a coach.
Corvallis
The Corvallis girls took 2nd in divisionals last year while the boys took 3rd. The Blue Devils look to continue this success again in 2025 under head coach Matt Powell.
“The team is looking good this season,” said Powell. “We have 24 girls and 14 boys and I’m very happy with the talent we have this year.”
Hamilton
The Hamilton boys and girls teams both took 1st place in divisionals last year. The Hamilton girls took 2nd in state. Hamilton returns two of the top girls singles players in the state. Ciara Hanley took 2nd place at state last year, and Tallulah Pinjuv took 4th at state last year.
Hamilton looks poised to return to their winning ways again this season.
“We have 56 players out this year, which is amazing,” said head coach Bryan Dufresne. “A lot of returning players and a lot of newbies.”
Stevensville
The Stevensville boys and girls have another great turn out this year as they have 14 girls and 11 boys. This is up from two years ago when they had only seven total players.
Stevensville is led by longtime head coach Bill Everett. “We have the most kids out since the pandemic,” said Everett. “It’s enjoyable working with each and every player, and with the help of our great assistant coaches we look to have a respectable showing throughout the season.”
Both the Stevensville boys and girls took 4th place in divisionals last year, and they hope to build on that success this season. In boys singles, Stevensville returns state qualifier Angus Trangmoe.