August 19, 2019 at 10:56 a.m.
Hodag tennis strong in scrimmage
Hodag tennis strong in scrimmage
The Hodags won exhibition matches in all three flights featuring new starters and Rhinelander unofficially beat Wausau West 6-1 in a scrimmage between the two teams at the RHS tennis courts.
Rhinelander starts playing matches that count this week and will likely be buoyed by the results. There were a few close calls, but the Hodags prevailed in three sets that went to tiebreakers and won the lone three-set match of the day.
"Best part of the scrimmage was we won all the close sets - four on the varsity, two on the JVs," coach Bob Heideman said. "That turned what could have been a close match into a 6-1 match."
The Hodags have had to revamp their lineup replacing five starters off that squad that went 22-4 in dual meets a season ago. None of the five starters who returned were in the same position as last year.
Senior Kenedy Van Zile and sophomore Kaylee Pontell won matches at Nos. 2 and 3 singles in straight sets. Van Zile fended off Mallory Names 7-6, 6-3 while Pontell was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Katie Meyer.
"Kenedy was consistent and varied her shots well," Heideman noted. "She was down in the tiebreaker and came back."
The new No. 1 doubles tandem Alex Oestreich and Jackie Wells got off to a good start. The Hodag seniors defeated Brenna Holtz and Sydney Weiland 6-3, 6-0. Senior Lisa White and junior Kathryn Borski won their match at No. 2 doubles 7-6, 6-2. Seniors Jaiden Thiel and Izzy Haverkampf completed the doubles sweep with a 6-2, 6-1 win in the third flight.
"There were some nerves first set at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles but we got stronger as the match went on," Heideman noted. "Lisa White hit a number of winners at the net. She plays the angles well."
The upperclassmen in at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles were somewhat known commodities for Heideman, despite a lack of varsity experience. The four went 86-4 in JV/varsity reserve matches a season ago. The same could not be said at No. 4 singles where freshman Taylor Riopel, filling in for projected starter Kat Metropulos, rallied from behind for a three-set win over Wausau West's Madeleine Bizjak 3-6, 7-6, 11-9.
"(The) first (set) at No. 4 singles wasn't so much nerves as playing the girl wrong," Heideman noted. "Once Taylor started hitting to her weaker side the match slowly turned. It was a nice win for a freshman on her first match at the varsity level."
Rhinelander's lone loss in the scrimmage came at No. 1 singles where sophomore Annika Johnson, making the switch from No. 1 doubles, was defeated by Wausau West junior Natasha Bailey in straight sets. Bailey advanced to the round of 16 in the WIAA Division 1 state singles tournament a season ago.
The Hodags kicked off the regular season Monday with the first day of the Wausau West Invite. Rhinelander played three matches yesterday and will play another two today in the dual-meet tournament. The Hodags will travel to Marshfield Columbus Thursday to begin Great Northern Conference play and will return home Friday to face Merrill and Ironwood, Mich. in a triangular at the RHS tennis courts.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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