April 11, 2023 at 6:34 a.m.
Hodag tennis opens season with Lakeland sweep
Hodag tennis opens season with Lakeland sweep
The Hodags, who are seeking their ninth consecutive conference title, swept Lakeland in the Hodag Dome. Rhinelander, which returns eight starters from last year's championship-winning team, won six of the seven flights in straight sets.
"I was super excited to see the squad get tested and how they performed. Some were closer than others but, overall, the effort, the gameplay is really cool to see," coach Matt Nichols said. "I saw a couple of things we'll want to work on in practice but a lot of strengths - hustle, grit. Our doubles were super active at the net, really good positioning with their volley, placement with their volleys and really good serves all around. I'm impressed with the serves."
Dalton Fritz, vaulting up from the No. 4 singles position, was pushed to the brink in his debut match in the top singles flight. He fought Lakeland's Dominic Gironella for 2 hours, 45 minutes, ultimately winning in a third-set tiebreaker 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5).
"I was expecting that would be the toughest one," Nichols said, noting that Gironella pushed Rhinelander's Joey Belanger when the two played at No. 2 singles last season. "I'm really happy and excited. Dalton, I think, has one of the best attitudes I've ever coached. He obviously tries every single point, but he doesn't put so much pressure on it that he starts making errors. It's awesome to see him do that. A third-set, set tiebreak is just insane."
Nichols said that steady demeanor paid dividends for Fritz, especially considering he had five match points during the third set before finally putting the match away.
"Just the perseverance and knowing, 'Hey, I messed up on that one, but moving on to the next.' It was time after time after time and he just persevered through and got the win in the end," he said.
Doubles dominated for Rhinelander on Thursday, dropping a total of two games in the three flights. Reigning conference doubles players of the year Layne Roeser and Joey Belanger rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Lakeland siblings August and Angus Callender. They recorded a golden set in the opener, not conceding a single point to the Lakeland pair.
"Not a single error. Whether you're playing a really skilled person or a low-skilled person, to get a golden set is impressive by itself," Nichols said.
Seniors Charlie Heck and Leo Losch rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win in the second flight over Jayson Wahlgren and Grage Bowe. Senior Eli Lundt was reunited with an old partner at No. 3 doubles, playing with junior Gavin Denis as the two rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Matt Traub and Kade Christie. Lundt and Denis played handful of matches together early last season.
"It's a good pairing. They complement each other well and they got the win, so that's fun to see," Nichols said.
The rest of Rhinelander's retooled singles lineup fared well on Thursday. John Currie, moving up form the No. 3 flight last year, knocked off Carson Tegland in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2. Dawson Pontell moved from doubles to the third flight and cruised over Lakeland's Jack Stepec - an all-conference player last season - 6-2, 6-3. Junior Nick Lesch rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Eli Novak in the fourth flight.
"Dawson, he brings a nice variety of shots. He's a very well-rounded player. I think that's going to play to his advantage. We can coach around his opponent. He's just a very consistent player, and a smart player, too," Nichols said. "Nick, moving up to that No. 4 singles spot, he's very consistent. He's put in so much time by himself just drop feeding basically every day through the winter. He's improved a lot. His serve is huge and he's also a very, very mental player. He's in the point and he's also thinking about every shot he's taking. It was reflected in his gameplay today."
The match was Rhinelander's first competitive outing of the season. The Hodags were scheduled to scrimmage Ashland last Tuesday, but the event was canceled due to unsafe travel conditions for Ashland.
The Hodags were scheduled to host Antigo this afternoon, but have bumped that match to May 11 and, instead, have picked up a scrimmage at Wausau West. Nichols said will be a good early-season test.
"I think West will be stronger than Antigo, so getting pushed early on (will be good)," he said. "We have a tournament that following weekend, so that will be nice to see West. It will also be nice for our JV. They work really hard and they don't always see the playing time, so they'll get that opportunity."
The Hodags will jump back into conference play Thursday as the take on Pacelli in Stevens Point.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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