MISSOULA — After a back-and-forth struggle with crosstown rival Valley Christian for three days, the Missoula Loyola boys used championships in singles and doubles Saturday to garner their fourth straight State B-C tennis team title. The four in a row is thought to be a record in Montana's smallest classification. The Rams needed wins in both championship matches at the Peak Racquet Club to set themselves apart.
Dillon Taylor's win in singles secured at least a share of first in the team competition in the morning, then teammates Carter Topp and Joe Kirschenmann rallied to win the doubles final to give the Rams first outright in the team race. Topp saved some of his best tennis for last in the doubles final. The senior — who has amassed a whopping eight state championships in his high school career between two on the basketball team, four as a member of the tennis team and two in doubles — started the third set by holding serve convincingly against Valley Christian's Preston Reimer and Ross Cruikshank.
That, his confident ground strokes and his competitive spirit, which he displayed with vocal cheering, set the tone. Topp held again at 4-0 and from there he and his partner cruised to a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 win. "Ultimately the big goal was to get the team title and then the doubles title was the cherry on top," said Topp, who has won state doubles with Kirschenman the past two years.
"To be able to clinch with that felt pretty good, and to do it in dominant fashion in that thi.