Riopel falls in first round of state tennis tournament

    Rhinelander's Tori Riopel plays a point during the WIAA Division 1 state girls’ tennis tournament in Madison Thursday, Oct. 12. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Rhinelander’s Tori Riopel knew she was in for a tough battle Thursday morning as the WIAA state girls’ tennis team in Madison got underway. That proved to be the case. 

Riopel was beaten 6-0, 6-0 by Muskego senior Emily Pan in the first round, ending the Hodag senior’s career.

Pan came in with a record of 13-3 on the year and as the 12-seed in the Division 1 singles draw. Pan was no ordinary 12-seed, however, after making it all the way to the state championship match last fall. A lower number of matches and a runner-up finish at sectionals hurt her seeding this year, but both Riopel and Hodag coach Matt Nichols said Pan played every bit like a championship contender Thursday morning.

“She had really good strokes and her serve was really good. I couldn’t return her serve a lot in the first set,” Riopel said.

    Rhinelander coach Matt Nichols and player Tori Riopel discuss strategy during the WIAA Division 1 state girls’ tennis tournament in Madison Thursday, Oct. 12. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

“(Pan’s) a very strong player. Every shot was well-practiced and she had very consistent depth, deep shots and could also finish the points. We played a hard match. We had some close games. It was fun to watch,” Nichols said. “Tori, she played hard the whole time. She didn’t give up. She had some awesome points in there, some nice serves, returns. It was a fun match to watch. It was a nice way to end her career.”

Riopel did not have a lot of time to get nervous Thursday morning, as one of the first 12 matches on the courts at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. There wasn’t a lot of time spent on the court, either, as the match took roughly 42 minutes. 

“I was a little bit nervous but not that nervous. I just wanted to play because I knew it was going to be one of the last times,” Riopel said. “I guess I was kind of upset because it’s over now, but I played hard.”

Overall, Riopel said she was pleased with how she played, but admitted she could have placed the ball a bit better in order to limit Pan’s offensive chances. 

“I felt like I could have kept the ball deeper because she would just put them away if they were short,” she said.

Tuesday’s loss finished a season that saw Riopel go 24-13 overall, playing all but one match at No. 1 singles. Riopel finishes with a 73-34 overall record at RHS in a career. She leaves as a four-time sectional qualifier and a four-time All-Great Northern Conference player.

Riopel finished runner-up at No. 1 singles in the GNC this year after finishing third in the flight last year. She was the GNC champion at No. 3 singles in 2021 and was voted first-team all-conference at No. 4 in 2020 when the conference tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You look at her career and she’s just been such a consistent force on our varsity lineup,” Nichols said. “It’s going to be a big loss of talent, but also the leadership, especially this last year, she brought. It’s really helpful when you have someone with that experience, that skill level that everyone can watch and look up to, kind of see the next level that they’re shooting for. It’s going to be really tough to lose that.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].