May 1, 2019 at 2:28 p.m.
Hodag tennis beats Antigo in battle of GNC unbeatens
Hodag tennis beats Antigo in battle of GNC unbeatens
The Hodags won a number of close straight-set matches Tuesday and defeated Antigo 6-1 at the RHS tennis courts in a battle of the conference's two remaining undefeated teams.
The win moves Rhinelander to 6-0 in the GNC and gives the Hodags a 26-point lead over Medford in the GNC standings. Antigo dropped to third in the GNC with the loss, 32 points behind, but has played two fewer duals than the Hodags. Rhinelander now has two fewer losses in individual matches than Antigo - important because each individual match is worth two conference points.
"This was a big match for us," coach Bob Heideman said. "Antigo (entered as) the second place team and with the way the conference score is determined, we needed to play well. The team responded with solid play. We won three of the four close matches and that turned the match. With four matches left, we are starting to distance ourselves from the rest of the conference."
Rhinelander and Antigo will meet again this coming Monday in Antigo.
Two of the closer matches came in the top flights. At No. 1 singles, Jacob Weddle fended off Antigo's Jared McFarlane, 6-4, 6-3 and in the top doubles flight, Connor Young and Logan Oestreich were 6-3, 6-4 winners over Brody Bunnell and Joe Bartlett.
"Connor and Logan depend on their serves," Heideman said. "When they struggle serving, they have to be patient until the serves come around. They served well in spurts tonight."
Another close win for Rhinelander came at No. 3 singles, where Freddy Wisner outlasted Calvin Jansen, 7-5, 6-3.
"Freddy had a nice close on his first set," Heideman noted. "His pattern has been to play well early in a set and then fade at the end. It was good to see him pull it out and then continue playing well into the second."
Ian Conkey added a 6-2, 6-0 win for the Hodags over Antigo's Simon McPhail at No. 4 singles. Elijah Evers and Luke Ring were 6-2, 6-2 winners over Brett Farmer and Jerome Jones at No. 2 doubles. Bridger Flory, paired with fellow senior Zach Thompson on Tuesday, took care of Antigo's Ben Morris and Sam Brett, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Rhinelander's lone loss came at No. 2 singles where Russell Benoy rebounded from a tough first set, but fell to Antigo's Garrett Husnick, 6-0, 6-4.
"Russell had a strong second set," Heideman noted. "He put himself in a position to turn it around. I give him a lot of credit for that. He's looking for answers."
Rhinelander makes a swing through Wausau this weekend, beginning with a GNC match at Wausau Newman this afternoon. The Hodags are back in Wausau tomorrow and Saturday for the Wausau West Invite.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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