May 12, 2017 at 1:28 p.m.
Hodag netters in driver's seat entering GNC tourney
Hodag netters in driver's seat entering GNC tourney
Rhinelander enters the tournament with a 14-point cushion over second-place Antigo following a 5-2 victory over the Red Robins Tuesday at the RHS tennis courts.
"Fourteen is a lot of points, and I never imagined that's the position we would be in," Hodag coach Bob Heideman said following Tuesday's win.
That's because in each of Rhinelander's last four conference titles, the Hodags have had to sweat it out until the final few championship matches on conference tourney day. In 2012, 2014 and 2015, the Hodags entered the tournament with four-point leads and ended up winning the title by two, five and five points, respectively.
Last year, Rhinelander's advantage over Antigo was a scant two points. The Hodags won that title by eight over the Red Robins, but needed some key three-set victories over Antigo to swing the tide.
Rhinelander's 14-point lead is the largest for any team since the Hodags had a 22-point cushion in 2011.
That was also the last time any team went undefeated in a double round-robin conference schedule prior to the Hodags' 8-0 mark this year. Antigo went 4-0 in dual meet play during the weather-abbreviated 2013 season.
The Hodags will have history on their side today as the squad seeks another conference title.
"I don't think any team has come from second and won it - and this is even I think (accurate) for girls too. The team coming in (with the lead) has won it," Heideman stated correctly.
Some other things to watch as the tournament gets underway at 9 a.m. in Rhinelander:
Sewing the seeds
Antigo still controls its conference destiny, but just barely. The Robins will need to take first in all seven flights to lock up at least a share of the conference title. That's not exactly likely considering Antigo has at least one loss in every flight except No. 3 singles in GNC play.
Rhinelander needs 28 points Saturday to clinch a share of the conference title and 30 to win it outright. Fourteen of those points will almost certainly be locked up prior to the start of competition. The top three seeds in each flight receive a bye into the semifinals and an automatic two points. Each individual match win is worth two points Saturday, with the exception of the third-place matches, which are only worth one.
Barring some highly unusual voting in the seeding meeting conducted by the conference coaches prior to Saturday's play, the Hodags should be guaranteed the No. 1 or 2 seed in every flight, given that their only individual losses in conference play have been against Antigo.
Jared Fabich and Grant Gilbert posted a perfect 8-0 conference season for the Hodags at No. 1 doubles. Ditto Jared Haug and Connor Young at No. 2 doubles. Rhinelander's also 8-0 with four different combinations at No. 3 doubles. Marshall Bessette and Logan Oestreich developed into the Hodags' pairing in that flight late in the season.
Russell Benoy is 5-0 in conference play since dropping to No. 4 singles. Logan Wild may be in line for a No. 1 seed as well. He sits 7-1 in the GNC after avenging his lone conference loss Tuesday in a three-set win over Antigo's Drew Schwarz.
Markus Johnson and Matt O'Melia each have one loss at Nos. 2 and 3 singles following defeats on Tuesday. That could drop them to second seeds in their flights.
Musical lineups
Of course, some of that seeding could change if teams - in particular Antigo and Medford - shuffle their lineups.
Schwarz and Ben Bartletti are the reigning conference doubles champs, and are 3-0 in doubles this conference season, but have played singles in every match against Rhinelander so far this season.
"(Antigo coach Dave Zalewski) has changed his lineup so many times, I don't know what it's going to be," Heideman said. "I know (Tyler) Husnick, because he beat Markus, he'll probably want him at No. 2, but if he puts Husnick at 2, I don't know who he puts at No. 1 other than the doubles guys."
Another variable could be the Medford pairing of Alec Veal and Alec Shear, who finished third at No. 2 doubles in last year's conference tournament. They are 1-2 this year at No. 1 doubles and a combined 2-8 in singles.
Repeat performances
The Hodags have a chance to repeat as conference champions in a number of flights. Wild is the reigning conference singles player of the year and will look to defend his title at No. 1 singles. He was also the No. 3 singles champ back in 2014. O'Melia is looking for his third straight No. 3 singles title, and fourth conference championship overall after winning the fourth flight as a freshman. O'Melia suffered the first GNC loss of his career Tuesday, falling to Bartletti in a third-set tiebreaker.
After back-to-back conference titles at No. 4 singles, Johnson is seeking his first conference title at No. 2 singles. Haug and Young are looking to parlay last year's championship at No. 3 doubles into a title at No. 2 doubles.
Home sweet home
The GNC meet is in Rhinelander for the third time in the last four years. The meet is scheduled to be on a three-year rotation between Antigo, Lakeland and Rhinelander, however last year's conference meet was moved from Lakeland to Rhinelander in a match-morning decision due to snow.
"These courts have been very kind to us," Heideman said. "It's a great place to watch tennis. I think the kids are excited that their buddies will be there and it's always an exciting time."
Subsectional setup
This year's conference tournament holds greater significance than years past for the Hodags as, for the first time, Rhinelander drops to Division 2 for this year's WIAA tournament. The entire GNC, with the exception of last-place Phillips, will join Fox Valley Lutheran, Wausau Newman, Pacelli, Shawano and Appleton Xavier in a nine-team subsectional May 22 in Rhinelander.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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