September 18, 2017 at 4:25 p.m.
Hodag tennis beats Medford 6-1
RHS trails Antigo by 4 points entering GNCs
Hodag tennis beats Medford 6-1
The Hodags breezed in singles and won a pair of tight doubles matches to defeat Medford 6-1 in a makeup of the previous Thursday's rainout at the Medford tennis courts.
The victory puts Rhinelander four points behind Antigo heading into this Saturday's GNC tournament.
The feat was not as easy as it sounds as Medford went all-in on its doubles lineup, placing its six best players in those flights. Rhinelander was victorious in two of the three matches, and a loss for the Hodags at No. 2 doubles was decided by a third-set tiebreaker.
"Our doubles came through which is exactly what we needed," Hodag coach Bob Heideman said.
At No. 1 doubles, Rhinelander's Livi Roberts and Haley Seefeldt avenged a three-set loss earlier in the season to Karlee Batchelder and Lauryn Strick, defeating the Medford tandem 7-5, 7-6 (1).
"Livi and Haley came up with two timely spurts of good tennis at the end of each set," Heideman said. "Livi is volleying better and Haley consistently hits sharp angles at the net."
At No. 3 doubles, the Rhinelander tandem of Jackie Wells and Savannah Chartier fended off Megan Payne and Elaine Schumacher 6-4, 7-5. Heideman admitted he was concerned about the matchup going in, considering Payne and Schumacher played Nos. 1 and 2 singles when the Raiders traveled to Medford last month.
"Savannah and Jackie had an up- and-down match," Heideman said. "Plenty of mistakes but we seem to win the big points. We were up 5-2 in the second set and Medford got it back to 5-5 and like No. 1 doubles they put two good games together to close the match out. Jackie's service return is coming around. Savannah's overall shot selection is sound which tells me she is on her way to understanding doubles."
Alexis Pyrchalla and Madi Losch easily played the longest match of the afternoon in a marathon three-setter against Mariah Leader and Mandi Baker that the Medford tandem eventually took 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (5).
"No. 2 doubles had as close a match as you can get," Heideman said. "Three close sets. There was significant improvement by both Madi and Alexis but what stuck out most was there was a spring in their step between points."
That loss could still hold significance in the conference race as it put Rhinelander four points behind Antigo instead of two heading into next Saturday's tournament.
With Medford stacking its doubles, Rhinelander had a relatively easy time in singles play. Belinda Weddle was a 6-1, 6-2 winner in the top flight, Alex Oestreich won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2, Emma Roberts scored a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 and Kenedy Van Zile earned a 6-1, 6-1 decision at No. 4.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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