August 19, 2021 at 9:54 a.m.
Hodag tennis winds up 2-3 in Wausau
Hodag tennis winds up 2-3 in Wausau
After dropping all three of their matches on Monday, the Hodags bounced back with a pair of victories Tuesday to finish 2-3 in the season opening Wausau West Invite.
It was another learning experience for the Hodags. They trotted out multiple different lineup combinations, especially in the lower flights, as they try to replace three starters off of last year's squad.
"We learned a couple of things we really need to work on at practice, part of that it just positioning for our doubles and working on some more consistency in the singles game - especially clearance at the net," Hodag coach Matt Nichols said. "But they are a really positive team and they're willing to work hard and grow from that experience. Both of those things are really valuable for us to learn from these first couple of days."
Rhinelander fell 4-3 against Altoona to start the tournament Monday. It was then swept 7-0 by Wausau West and beaten 5-2 by Menomonie to conclude the first day of play. Things went better on Day 2 with a pair of 6-1 victories over subsectional opponents Merrill and D.C. Everest.
"We kind of figured Monday was going to be the tougher day," Nichols said. "Those teams were very strong. It was a nice confidence boost that they're solid teams, but we played better and we ended up beating them. It just shows that even though we lost those first couple games that we still have a lot to bring to the table to compete with other teams."
The two returning seniors at the top of Rhinelander's lineup performed the best over the two-day invite. Annika Johnson and Kaylee Pontell both went 4-1 at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles flights, respectively. Both of their losses came Monday against a Wausau West team that finished second in sectionals a year ago. Aside from the West match, Johnson was hardly challenged, dropping six games total in her four other match victories. It was a similar story for Pontell, who dropped a total of seven games in the four matches she won.
"They have experience. I even had a coach comment, asking what year they were," Nichols said. "I told them that Annika and Kaylee were both seniors and he said, 'Yeah, I figured we were in trouble, just the way they walked on the court.' It just goes to show their poise, their confidence and they level of play they bring to the game."
Sophomore Tori Riopel, bumping up one flight after going 10-2 last year at No. 4 singles, went 3-2 during the tournament. She started with a straight-set win over Altoona's Keyliana DeSantis before losing her final two matches on Monday. Riopel responded by not dropping a single game in two wins on Tuesday.
"Tori's a little younger, but she's still a very experienced player and had a lot of challenge at that position, especially," Nichols said.
Despite mixed results, Nichols said it appears the team has locked in on its top two doubles combinations with last year's No. 3 doubles team of Paige Oleinik and Shayla Coppenger splitting up to join the returning players at the Nos. 1 and 2 flights, Taylor Riopel and Kylee Younker.
Oleinik and Taylor Riopel went 1-4 together at the top doubles flight, but had the closest match in the shutout loss to Wausau West, pushing the Warrior's top pair of Anika Eder and Katie Meyer to a match tiebreaker before falling 6-2, 6-7 (5), 10-6. Coppenger played all five matches at No. 2 doubles, going 2-3. Four of those matches were with Younker and the other was with Kayla Tessman. Coppenger and Younker won both of their matches in straight sets on Tuesday.
"I think that, looking forward, those are the strongest combinations we can put forward there," Nichols said.
As for the other spots, it appears underclassmen may have the inside track to those starting roles on a more permanent basis. Tessman, a sophomore, paired with freshman Helena Wisner to win both of their matches at No. 3 doubles on Tuesday, while freshman Kelsey Winter went 1-2 overall at No. 4 singles.
"I think we'll keep Kayla over at doubles. She seems a little stronger there. Kelsey right now seems to have earned that No. 4 singles spot," Nichols said. Again, we'll have a couple of playoff matches just to make sure we're not overlooking anyone else on the roster, but she's brought a lot to that position in her hustle, and her consistency and just the willingness to try new things and really give it her best shot. That's going to help her grow really quickly."
Mabel Spencer and Amber Bramm were the others who got into the lineup during the tournament. Spencer went 0-2 over a pair of matches between No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. Bramm played with Tessman in a straight-set loss to Wausau West.
Rhinelander (2-3, 0-0 Great Northern) was schedule to open the conference season at home Thursday afternoon against Lakeland in a match that concluded after deadline. Nichols told the River News that Friday's scheduled home triangular against Merrill and Ironwood, Mich. has been canceled while he and his brother, assistant coach Ben Nichols, attend to a family obligation. Matt Nichols said he is hopeful the invite can be made up later in the season.
Rhinelander has two more two-day invites in Wausau next week as well as a home match against Medford next Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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