May 28, 2021 at 11:23 a.m.
RHS tennis sweeps Pacelli in dome, maintains GNC lead
RHS tennis sweeps Pacelli in dome, maintains GNC lead
The availability of an indoor facility allowed the Hodags to complete their match Thursday against Pacelli, and a 7-0 sweep of the Cardinals allowed Rhinelander to maintain the Great Northern Conference lead heading into a pivotal final week of the regular season.
With cold, windy and misty conditions forecasted throughout the afternoon, the decision was made early Thursday to move the match inside the dome.
"It would have been just crazy to try to push this off to next week or even tomorrow. I'm happy we got it in. It's a great blessing to have the dome," Hodag coach Matt Nichols said.
The Hodags cruised in most every flight with the exception of No. 2 singles where freshman Joey Belanger was pushed to three sets against senior Isaac Kosobucki, but came out on top 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-5.
"We had a really tight match at No. 2 singles and we were able to finish on top," Nichols said. "That was nice. As a freshman, it's awesome to get all this experience, different conditions, different players. Having that mental toughness to finish through the third set, it was awesome to see him come through."
Rhinelander cruised in the other three singles flights. Jacob Weddle was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Charlie Kulick in the top flight, Leo Losch defeated Bennett Eckendorff 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 singles and Joey Sturzl downed Tyson Krueger 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4.
"Weddle, the scores don't reflect it, but he was playing a pretty solid player. He was played especially well. That was exciting to see," Nichols said. "Joey's been putting together a lot of nice combinations shots. That was nice. (Leo) has gotten a lot of stronger with his consistency and combination with different shots. He and Sturzl do a really nice job of moving their opponents and opening up court space to finish the points off."
Rhinelander stormed through all three doubles matches. Elijah Evers and Luke Ring were 6-1, 6-1 winners in the top flight over Jacob Mengle and Mateo Koch; Layne Roeser and Billy Berwig downed Wes Peplinski and Eli Robison 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 and Jake Losch and Joseph Heck took the third flight over Ian Osypowski and Brian Pekerak, 6-0, 6-0.
"I thought all the doubles, they've really been able to dial in where they're placing their volleys," Nichols said. "That was exciting to see. They were finishing points at the net and that's exactly what we work on in practice."
It was the first time that all seven of Rhinelander flights competed in a match inside the Hodag Dome. The Hodags were opposed in only two flights when they beat Lakeland in the dome May 14. Thursday's matches took a bit longer to complete, with only four courts in the facility, but Nichols said that and the lack of elements were the only major differences compared to playing outdoors.
"I really haven't noticed any major changes. Our courts our wide. A lot of indoor courts are a little closer together, so there's not even that," he said. "That doesn't present a challenge with the angle shots. We're able to get to those. I think besides the lack of wind, or sun for that matter, there's no real difference."
Rhinelander (13-0, 6-0 Great Northern) maintained a four-point lead over Medford in the GNC standings as the Raiders defeated Lakeland 7-0 on Thursday. The Hodags travel to Medford this afternoon for a key match. A victory of 4-3 or greater for Rhinelander would clinch the conference lead for the Hodags entering Friday's GNC tournament in Rhinelander.
The Hodags could then add some insurance to their lead Thursday on the road at Antigo. Rhinelander defeated both Medford and Antigo 6-1 earlier this season.
"Both of those are two of the stronger teams in the conference. I'm really looking forward to it," Nichols said. "Leo dropped two three-setters, one against Medford and one against Antigo. It's nice for him to get that opportunity to play them again and earn those wins. Joey (Sturzl) he's progressed a lot this season. He had two three-set (matches). He ended up on top and we'll see if he can push through and get a little more dominant of a victory."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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