September 7, 2018 at 12:48 p.m.
Robins edge Hodags 4-3 in GNC girls' tennis showdown
Robins edge Hodags 4-3 in GNC girls' tennis showdown
Antigo's Avery Nicholson held off Rhinelander's Kenedy Van Zile in three sets at No. 3 singles and the Red Robins bolstered their conference title defense with a 4-3 win over the Hodags at the Elleson Tennis Courts.
Rhinelander - winner of seven straight conference crowns before being dethroned by the Robins last season - had a 3-2 lead late in the match, but Antigo took both three-setters played to edge the Hodags. The result increased Antigo's conference lead over Rhinelander to four points with three dual meets remaining for both teams prior to the GNC tournament.
"They won two out of the three close matches. I think that's what put them over," Rhinelander coach Bob Heideman said. "The short-term picture is a disappointing match because we were in a position to win some of those matches."
Nicholson rallied after losing the first set to defeat Van Zile 6-7 (0), 6-2, 6-4, while Antigo's second doubles paring of Sam Behling and Jenna Lenzner outlasted Rhinelander's Alexis Pyrchalla and Madi Losch 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.
Van Zile had to play from behind most of the match against Nicholson, trailing by a break point, 5-2, in each of the three sets. Van Zile rallied in the first set, and fought off three set points while serving in the 12th game to force a tiebreaker, which she won 7-0. She was not as fortunate in the other two sets.
In the second, Van Zile was broken in the eight game to even the match at a set a piece. She rallied to get back on serve at 4-5 in the third set, but fell behind in her service game love-40. She fought off two set points, but not the third, as Nicholson took the decisive match.
"That match was strangely similar to the match here (last year)," Heideman said, alluding to a 5-2 Red Robin win that ultimately gave Antigo control of the conference a year ago. "When Kenedy's at her best, she can stay in points a long, long time. I just had a sense that her game was, 'I have to do more with my game to win points against her.' At No. 3, to hit a little more offensive shot, you have to be playing very, very well, because the pressure to hit those shots - and we're not just talking one shot, we're talking a lot of shots - and beat somebody, it's just hard."
Losch and Pyrchalla, meanwhile, let an opportunity slip away to take control of their match at No. 2 doubles against Behling and Lenzner. Leading 5-2 in the first, they dropped five straight games to drop the set 7-5. The Hodag tandem had double-set point while receiving at 5-4. They also had a chance at game point to force a tiebreaker down 5-6 that ended in a Pyrchalla double fault.
Rhinelander rebounded to win the second set, but fell behind 1-4 in the third set and could never recover.
"I thought that we hit some nice angles and they just seemed to come up with the shots," Heideman said of that match. "The other thing was when we gave them opportunities, they just hit the right spot and put it away."
The match was tied 2-2 in relatively short order. Antigo took the top flights of singles and doubles. Maya Gaedtke defeated Alex Oestreich 6-4, 6-0 in singles while Abby Robrecht and Taylor Arrowood were 6-3, 6-1 winners over Annika Johnson and Haley Seefeldt.
Rhinelander countered with a pair of straight-set wins in singles. Emma Roberts downed Ellie Kelly 6-2, 6-2 in the second flight while Kaylee Pontell won by the same score over Margo Kelly in the fourth flight.
"Emma Roberts, she outsteadies Ellie and she did it again today," Heideman said. "The same is true of Kaylee. She just plays her game and wears the person down."
Rhinelander took a 3-2 lead when the No. 3 doubles team of Jackie Wells and Savannah Chartier fended off Julia Westen and Greta Parsons 6-3, 7-6 (7). The Hodags broke the Robins' serve in the 12th game of the second set to force the tiebreaker, and then rallied from down 1-4 in the tiebreaker to claim the match.
"They've been doing that all year. They were down late in that second set, but they came back and pulled it out," Heideman said.
Rhinelander is now playing catchup down the stretch, but may have the slightly easier schedule as the conference once again is setting up to be a dual between the Hodags and the Robins. Rhinelander played Marshfield Columbus (1-2) yesterday afternoon in a match that concluded after deadline, will host Pacelli (2-2) on Tuesday and then travel to Lakeland (1-3) next Thursday. Antigo still has Lakeland, Medford (2-2) and Wausau Newman (3-1) remaining on its schedule prior to the GNC tournament Sept. 22 at Lakeland.
"For us, the trick is not to make too much of this," Heideman said of Thursday's loss. "It says something that it's going to be very, very, very tight (at the conference tournament), but we've got to put our heads up and get back to business against Columbus and we'll be OK. I'm hoping that with our senior leadership, our heads will be up and we'll be ready to play Columbus tomorrow."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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