August 8, 2018 at 1:01 p.m.
Hodag netters begin short run-up to season
Hodag netters begin short run-up to season
The clock's ticking for the Hodags to settle on a lineup because, once Monday rolls around, the team will be playing a lot of tennis in a short period of time - nine events in 13 days, to be precise.
"That's a sprint right at the beginning of the season," coach Bob Heideman said. "So the lineup's got to be put together and ... the reason we do what we do on this day is to see if there's anybody making inroads or are going to challenge those people who last year established themselves on the varsity level."
Luckily, the Hodags have two things working in their favor. For starters, the team returns eight of its 10 varsity starters from last season. The only graduates were Belinda Weddle at No. 1 singles and Livi Roberts at No. 1 doubles.
Secondly, the majority of those players have a head start on the season, having spent much of the offseason taking part in Heideman's annual summer tennis camp at the RHS tennis courts.
"I was pleased with the senior girls. They put in a solid summer," Heideman said. "I think they showed some leadership. Then we had some juniors who did that also. I think there's a core of kids who are I think are ready for the season. Then there were a couple of underclassmen who didn't do much in the summer, but did well in our drills today."
Both of those factors have helped at practice this week, as the team mixes a combination of skills and drills with challenge matches to determine the exact pecking order within the varsity lineup.
"There is some competition for the spots. We have a lot of veterans coming back, so we've got some kids fighting for that," Heideman noted.
Assuming the incumbent players have a leg up on the field, Heideman said there are basically two starting spots and three reserve roles to fill on the varsity roster.
"I'm looking for a No. 4 (singles) player, so we're going to have to do some challenges to find that fourth spot," he said. "Then, as far as doubles, we're looking for a replacement for Livi, basically, but we're looking a fourth doubles team that will practice with the varsity and maybe a fifth singles player to maybe rotate in."
The team had roughly 20 players for Tuesday's opening practice. Heideman expects that number to climb to the mid 20s once all the players turn in their paperwork and report, though he noted virtually everyone presumably in the mix for varsity positions was at practice Tuesday.
The team will get one dress rehearsal at home against Wausau West on Saturday before competition begins for real with an invite Monday and Tuesday at Wausau West. The Hodags will host Marshfield Columbus to begin Great Northern Conference play next Thursday and host the annual Hodag Quad next Friday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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