April 24, 2019 at 1:59 p.m.
Hodag tennis sweeps Pacelli
Hodag tennis sweeps Pacelli
The Hodags won all seven flights in straight sets and defeated Pacelli 7-0 at the RHS tennis courts.
Coach Bob Heideman called the victory a good pick-me-up for the team which struggled Saturday at the SPASH Invite and earlier this season when it opened GNC play with a 5-2 win at Pacelli.
"It was good to put both last weekend and the first Pacelli match behind us," Heideman said. "We didn't play particularly well in either and the play was much better today."
In particular, Heideman pointed out the play of the three players who lost the first time around against Pacelli.
Russell Benoy, back in the lineup after missing most of the SPASH Invite with a shoulder injury, cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles over Sam Lamotte. Benoy, playing No. 1 at the time, lost in straight sets to Pacelli's Charlie Kulick in the opener.
"It was good to see that Russell's injury Saturday did not prevent him from playing and he played well. His forehand is coming around slowly but each match a little better," Heideman said.
Luke Ring and Elijah Evers were 6-2, 6-3 winners over Sam Basala and Andrew Pisarski at No. 2 doubles. The pairing dropped a three-set match to Ben Kroening and Pisarski the first time around.
"Luke and Elijah showed the value of what nine matches can do for two freshmen new to varsity level play," Heideman noted. "They're just not as intimidated, are making much better decisions with better execution."
Overall, Pacelli fielded a different lineup than it did the first time around against the Hodags, and did not come away with better results. Jacob Weddle beat Jasper Zhou in straight sets at No. 1 singles. Zhou played No. 1 doubles the first time around with Isaac Kosobucki, who lost to Freddy Wisner, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles Tuesday.
Ian Conkey beat Luke Pekarek, who didn't play the first time around, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.
In doubles, Kulick and Kroening were paired together for Pacelli and fell to Connor Young and Logan Oestreich 7-5, 6-3. Bridger Flory and Billy Berwig completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jacob Mengel and Mateo Koch at No. 3 doubles.
The win keeps Rhinelander 12 points ahead of Antigo in the GNC standings. The two teams were scheduled to play Monday in Antigo, but that match was rained out and rescheduled for Monday, May 6.
The Hodags return home to take on Medford this afternoon. Rhinelander defeated the Raiders 5-2 in the first meeting between the teams this year.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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