The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Chinook Sugarbeeter Tennis team was back in Great Falls this past weekend looking to bring home hardware once again from the Montana Class B/C State Tournament. The 'Beeters sent two Singles and two Doubles teams to the State tournament. When the dust settled Chinook junior, Mya Berreth had captured gold, defeating her Fairfield opponent 6-2, 6-4 in the championship to claim the Singles title. Sophomore, Rilee Molyneaux went 3-2 to earn All-state honors with a fifth place finish. Both Doubles teams played hard but were eliminated before the medal rounds.

Berreth began her championship run with a pair of relatively easy matches. First Berreth took down hero opponent from Big Fork 6-0, 6-0. She then defeated her next opponent 6-0, 6-0 as well to advance. Berreth next faced Darby's number one Singles in the quarterfinal 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

Berreth closed out the tournament against familiar foes from the Northern B/C. In the semifinal Berreth took down CJI's Standiford 7-5, 6-0 punching her ticket to the championship. In the finale it was Berreth cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Fairfield's Wilson and cap off an undefeated season claiming the Montana Class B/C Singles title. Berreth finished fourth in the event as a sophomore and will look to defend her title as a senior.

It takes a lot of fortitude and personal sacrifice to win a championship and when the goal is finally achieved it can be overwhelming, "My first feeling was relief, relief from all the pressure I was feeling going into the tournament and the relief of all the hard work I've put in over the season to pay off," said Berreth.

Some key moments during the tournament that helped Berreth achieve a state title included a fast start, "I won both my matches to start with all the set scores being 6-0 which helped built my confidence for the tournament." She added, "Throughout the tournament we were on rain delay for a good part of it and it's not easy to start a match then have it delayed because of the rain."

Heading into the title match Berreth had a clear gameplan, "During the championship I took more of an attack mode, I realized that no matter what approach I take this would be my final game anyways so I wanted to make the most of it. I have played this girl a couple times before including in the championship at Divisionals."

Berreth concluded by saying, "My plans for next year to help me achieve this opportunity is to keep working. To keep putting in all the extra hours I have dedicated to Tennis and to try and get some extra help to vary my tennis game."

Molyneaux began her tournament run with a 6-3, 6-1 win over her opponent from Baker. Molyneaux then followed with a 6- 7-5 win over Valley Christian. Molyneaux then fell to Fairfield and Darby before capturing her fifth place podium.

Chinook Head Coach Janelle Deanon was clearly thrilled with her teams overall performance, "I couldn't be more proud of my girls and the season they had. Coach Chriss and I asked a lot of them this year, starting the year off not even on the court but uncovering it from the multiple feet of snow and ice. Then meet after meet was canceled due to weather and we were inside practicing a lot of the time."

The 'Beeters persevered, "Despite all that they came together and made massive improvements as a team and as individuals. Since it's State tennis, the weather couldn't have been great so we were faced with three days of rain and rain delays. They took it in stride and they all came out playing to win. Rilee and Mya started off hot the first day with two big wins each, Lexi and Torin also started day one right with big wins on the doubles side. Jeni and Jenna were faced with the most challenging match right out the gate against the eventual state champs but they hung in there and showed they still had what it takes to be a state team. Friday our girls continued their winning streaks racking up team points, and building confidence."

The level of competition is at its peak at any State tournament, "Unfortunately on day two both of our doubles fell to the Simms doubles, but not after a few wins each. Both teams had a great season and although it didn't end the way they wanted it to, they were huge point contributors for our overall second place title. Jeni and Jenna improved greatly as a team and state was their best showing of the year. I can't wait to see what next year holds for them. I was especially grateful for my senior doubles team this year Lexi and Torin, they left it all out on the court and while a few tears were shed, they showed everyone they truly are the top of their division, outlasting every other Northeastern divisional doubles team. Those two will be really tough to replace," said Deanon.

Deanon was all smiles when talking singles, "Mya Berreth started this season with a goal to be the singles champion. She put in the work, staying late at practice, working tirelessly on her serving game, and it all paid off. She officially has an undefeated season and is the class B/C singles champion! While I'm obviously impressed by her tennis skills and how naturally she picked up the sport, what I'm most impressed by is the compliments other players and coaches give her. She is constantly pegged as one of the favorites to play because of her good nature, tenacity, and honesty."

Deanon added "Rilee Molyneaux is also a state placer, taking fifth place in girls singles. This is her first year playing singles and if how she played this year is an indicator, she's one to watch out for. Rilee was the youngest state singles placer as all the others were seniors and juniors. One thing about Rilee that really impressed me during state was her ability to adapt to the girls she was playing, she could mimic a style of play of each of her opponents which was an excellent winning strategy."

When Deanon was asked what's next for the 'Beeters, "Already my team has their sights set on first place next year. They have a really great shot at it, and while we are going to be feeling the loss of our top two doubles players, I have no doubt some of my younger players will step in to fill their shoes."