April 22, 2019 at 3:02 p.m.
Hodags go winless at SPASH Invite
Hodags go winless at SPASH Invite
The Hodags went 0-3 on the day at the SPASH Invite in Stevens Point, winning only five matches in the process.
Rhinelander started the day with a 5-2 loss to Stevens Point at the SPASH tennis courts and then moved over to Goerke Park where it lost to Marshfield 5-2 and Holmen 6-1.
"It was not the day we had hoped," coach Bob Heideman said. "Better competition for sure but we lost a lot of the close ones and that makes a huge difference."
Two players stood out throughout the day for the Hodags, most notably sophomore Jacob Weddle at No. 1 singles, who won all three of his matches. Weddle fended off Stevens Point's Jon Olson to win in a third-set super tiebreaker 6-1, 4-6, 10-4. He then beat Marshfield Calvin Lawler 6-4, 6-3 and Holmen's Michael Hinman 6-2, 6-2.
"Jacob played three quality players, each with different styles," Heideman said. "Consequently, Jacob had a lot of adjusting to do from match to match. It was a day where strategies mattered and Jacob has enough game to do that. There was no greater example of that then his tiebreaker against Stevens Point. Olson had won the second set by winning points at the net. Jacob countered with high deep lobs which turned the tiebreak in his favor."
Another senior, Ian Conkey, picked up the other two wins for the Hodags on the day. He beat SPASH's Nathan Strasman, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 4 singles and Marshfield's Sam Roherty 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. His lone loss was a 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Holmen's Maverick Kulmacewski.
"Ian plays a heady game," Heideman said. "He has a unique combination of skills which he has woven into an affective game. In his loss he was able to see that Maverick just was a better player. Some young players aren't mature enough to see that."
Conkey moved up a flight, as did most of the singles lineup, beginning with the Marshfield match. Senior Russell Benoy sustained a shoulder injury during the Stevens Point match that forced him to default in the second set. He did not play the remainder of the day. Heideman noted he was hopeful that Benoy would be ready for Monday's scheduled GNC match against Antigo.
The Hodags had a couple of close calls that did not go their way during the day. Freddy Wisner fell to Stevens Point's Noah Hlavac in a third-set super tiebreaker 6-4, 3-6, 5-10. Bridger Flory and Billy Berwig narrowly missed sending their No. 3 doubles match against Marshfield to a third set, falling to Justin Rachu and Payton Smith 4-6, 6-7. Luke Ring and Elijah Evers dropped a closely contested No. 2 doubles match to Holmen's Vang That and Xavier Marcon, 6-7, 7-5, 7-10.
Despite the outcome, Heideman said Saturday's matches held a purpose for the Hodags (5-4, 3-0 Great Northern) as they seek a sixth straight GNC title.
"We play these all day meets to get better," Heideman said. "So we are looking for some dividends next week which is huge because we play the top teams in the conference."
It was shaping up to be an important week in conference play, with Rhinelander slated to play the second-, third- and fourth-place teams in the GNC standings. The Hodags were scheduled to travel to Antigo yesterday afternoon. Despite a rainy forecast, that match was still on as scheduled as of deadline for this edition. Rhinelander hosts Pacelli this afternoon at the RHS tennis courts and welcomes Medford to town on Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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