September 19, 2018 at 1:08 p.m.
Newman upsets Antigo, giving Hodags lead entering GNC tennis tourney
Newman upsets Antigo, giving Hodags lead entering GNC tennis tourney
Antigo went into the night 10 points behind the idle Hodags in the conference race, and needed a result of 6-1 or better to take the lead heading into Saturday. Newman pulled surprising wins at No. 2 singles, No. 2 doubles and No. 3 doubles, to go along with a commanding win at No. 1 singles, to shock the Red Robins.
The result gives Rhinelander a four-point lead in the conference standings over Antigo, despite having lost to the Robins 4-3 in Antigo Sept. 6
"No great insight here, but it's going to be very, very close," Rhinelander coach Bob Heideman said Tuesday afternoon, prior to Newman's upset. "We've looked at how Antigo might get seeded, how we might get seeded, how it might play out and it's going to come down to just a couple matches."
Saturday's tournament is seeded flight by flight in an eight-player bracket. A conference championship in any flight is worth six points to a team's ledger, second place is worth four points, third receives three points, fourth receives two points and fifth takes a point. A team could, mathematically, earn up to 42 points on Saturday.
The tournament is slated to begin at approximately 9 a.m. in the Lakeland area. Lakeland Union High School, with its eight tennis courts, will be the base location for the tournament, but auxiliary courts at Brandy Lake Park and Torpy Park will also be utilized.
Some stories to follow heading into Saturday.
Head-to-head
Needless to say, anytime Rhinelander and Antigo play head-to-head, the results will be vital. Any meeting, especially in the placement rounds, will be worth a swing of either two or four points for the winner.
"Anytime we meet Antigo, winning is just golden," said Heideman.
Rhinelander went 3-2 head-to-head against Antigo at last year's conference tournament, but never drew the Robins at Nos. 1 or 3 singles. Antigo won both flights, and took the conference tournament by three points, while Rhinelander finished third.
Spoiler alert
Don't be lulled into thinking Saturday's conference tournament will be merely match play between Rhinelander and Antigo. Especially now that the conference has expanded to eight teams, there are more opportunities than ever for upsets - as Antigo found out Tuesday afternoon.
For starters, neither Antigo or Rhinelander is favored to win the No. 1 singles title. That honor goes to Wausau Newman's Mia Larrian, who went undefeated during the conference duals. Newman, Medford and Pacelli, which are locked in a tight battle for third in the conference, all have the potential to play spoiler in a number of flights.
The impact of those teams won't just be felt on the court, but in the coaches seeding meeting prior to the tournament where jockeying for the best draw possible in each flight will be critical.
"I think there are other players and doubles teams sprinkled in there that can have a major impact on this tournament," Heideman said. "I just don't think it's going to be as simple as us and Antigo kind of cruising through. I think there are good enough players that they're going to be part of the story."
History lesson
A trio of Hodags come into Saturday's meet hoping that history repeats itself.
Last year Kenedy Van Zile avenged a regular season loss to Antigo's Avery Nicholson to win the conference title at No. 4 singles while the No. 2 doubles tandem of Alexis Pyrchalla and Madi Losch upset top-seeded Sydney Lenzner and Pia Spychalla of Antigo en route to a title.
The three will likely have to do the same this year. Nicholson beat Van Zile in three sets at No. 3 singles when the teams played earlier this month in Antigo while Lenzner and Sam Belling beat Losch and Pyrchalla in three sets at No. 2 doubles.
Those three, along with No. 2 singles player Emma Roberts, are Rhinelander's returning individual conference champs from a season ago.
History lesson II
In Great Northern Conference history, no team trailing following the dual meet portion of the season - either in the boys' or girls' tennis - has rallied to win the GNC tournament and the conference title overall.
Antigo held a four-point lead on Rhinelander last year entering the girls' tennis tournament and pulled away at conference to win by seven points overall.
With the roles reversed, Heideman said his team hopes to return the favor.
"We're healthy and I think we're hungry," he said.
Last year's margin was the closest in GNC girls' tennis history, but Heideman is no stranger to tight conference races on the boys' side. His team had a two-point over Antigo entering the conference tournament in 2016, and a four-point lead on two other occasions, and went on to win the conference title each time.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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