Recap

Wolverines Whitewash Brewers in Four Straight for Fifth Match Win

Wolverines Complete Spirited Comeback in Mixed Doubles

The Wolverines Haddow Thul and Vicky Strandlund had their hands full drawing hard-hitting Susan Pound and Mark Cleminson of the Brewers. Despite early struggles, they came through with flying colors, coming back from a late four-point deficit to win 15-13. It was a great start for the Wolverines, who came into this match having won four of five in the Western Split to that point.

Cleminson and Pound dominated early, with Cleminson providing laser-like overhands for winners and Pound setting up the Wolverines for unforced errors. Even still, Thul and Strandlund – who dove on the Pickleroll floor for a return – played spirited enough Pickleball to stay in range.

With the score 11-7 Brewers and things looking grim, the Wolverines mounted a slow, steady comeback. While Cleminson was making all the shots in the first half, he made five unforced errors late to aid the Wolverines. Strandlund and Thul, on the other side, played very complementary pickleball, dinking and transitioning in sync to win points. Thul would win it with a blazing forehand shot down the middle.

Wolverines Late Charge Produces Big Win over Brewers

If overcoming deficits pretty much all game, the Wolverines mixed doubles pair of Joel Pelletier and Angie Walker finally won 15-14 over the Brewers Jeff Elwood and Christina Chin after five consecutive freezes at 14-14.

This was a highly entertaining tilt, with a few twists and turns, extended dinking rallies and some interesting results. Pelletier and Walker tried to force the issue with forceful offense, however, the Brewers’ Elwood answered with two overhand smashes to put his team up 6-4. Walker and Pelletier answered emphatically, though, both sending forehands that plunked Chin to tie it.

Elwood and Chin used that sequence as impetus to dink their way to a 9-7 lead, only to the Wolverines rally to tie it yet again. As in the previous mixed doubles game, the Brewers pushed the score to 13-10, making another comeback improbable. But after a timeout, the Wolverines came out swinging and tied it up on another Walker forehand rocket.

Things then got crazy at a 14-14 freeze. It seemed that neither team could solve the other, until after five sequences the Brewers went quietly side out to hand the Wolverines the victory.

Wolverines Women’s Doubles Team Clinches Match in Convincing Fashion

It seems that after a couple of lengthy, hard-fought games, the Wolverines and Brewers women’s doubles teams decided to make this one a truncated affair. While it wasn’t a cakewalk, the Wolverines Angie Walker and Vicky Strandlund breezed by the Brewers Christina Chin and Susan Pound by a score of 15-10.

The only lead the Brewers held was 1-0 and from there the Wolverines tied it on a Strandlund cross and then went ahead for good. Plenty of unforced errors, interspersed with some great shot-making by Strandlund and Walker led to a Brewers’ timeout with the Wolverines up 7-4. In short order the Wolverines pushed the score to 10-5, courtesy of a wicked Walker flick and a Strandlund backhand winner. Strandlund later smashed an overhand to give the Wolverines an 11-6 lead, which got the Brewers going for the first time. Pound and Chin both made great shots and transitioned well from defense to offense to get as close as 12-10.

However, the Wolverines countered with outstanding defense, gaining a key point, and then finishing the Brewers quietly when they went side out twice to end this game and seal the match triumph.

Wolverines Men Complete Sweep of Brewers

It was a “nothing” game with nothing on the line, yet the Wolverines men’s doubles duo of Haddow Thul and Joel Pelletier came out hard, beating the Brewers Jeff Elwood and Mark Cleminson 15-9. It was never close, with the Wolverines taking an early 3-1 lead when Thul set the tempo with a brilliant crossing shot for a point.

Thul would send a winning forehand two points later, forcing a Brewers timeout with the score 5-1. After the break, Pelletier got into the act with a nice cross and then the two rallied to go up 7-1. The unforced errors were the Brewers demise in this one, with both Cleminson and Elwood finding the Selkirk net on too many occasions.

Any time the Brewers seemed they might mount a bit of a comeback, it was stifled by the Wolverines, who time and again late forced bad shots by their counterparts to keep a wide margin. Mercifully, the game and the match ended when Cleminson hit the net after an extended rally.