Teammate Mathison Also a Favorite: Glacier High’s Bates Eyes State Tennis Title

Liana Bates, Glacier's super sophomore, enters this week's Class AA state tennis tournament in Bozeman as the No. 2 singles player in the state. She would be undefeated on the season, if it weren't for the top-ranked player, Ellie Crum of Great Falls High. Crum, a junior, has defeated Bates every time they've played over the past two years and is the clear favorite to win the title. But Bates has been making strides in her most recent matchups against Crum, including a 6-2, 6-2 loss earlier this month that was closer than the final score indicated.

Bates finished second last year at state, losing to Missy Harris in the championship match. Crum had the unfortunate position of sharing the same side of the bracket with Harris and lost in the semifinals to finish third for the second straight year. Harris finished her high school career undefeated with four straight state championships. She never even dropped a set.

At last week's divisional tournament, Bates lost to Crum in the Northern AA divisional championship to finish second overall. Click here for a story about Bates and fellow Glacier sophomore Cami Mathison, who finished third at divisionals and will also be playing at state this week. The tournament is held on May 22-23 at Montana State University in Bozeman.