Hodag tennis edges Pacelli in conference opener

The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team opened Great Northern Conference play on Tuesday with a win over a team that figures to once again be in the mix by season’s end. 

The Hodags swept doubles and scored a pair of three-set victories as they knocked off Pacelli 5-2 at the RHS tennis courts. The Cardinals (1-2 GNC), who finished in third, eight points behind the GNC champion Hodags in last year’s conference standings, took the top two singles flights kept it close until the end.

“We knew they’d be a strong team,” Hodag coach Matt Nichols said. “They have some really strong returning players. We saw that especially at the Nos. 1 and 2 (singles) flights. They’re a competitive team and it was a tough win, some three-set wins and it could have easily went to a loss. It’s just nice that we were able to persevere and play hard throughout the match.”

The Hodags flexed their depth, taking No. 4 singles and Nos. 2 and 3 doubles in straight sets to lead 3-2 with two matches left on the courts, both of which headed to decisive third sets. In both instances, Rhinelander had to fend off second-set rallies from Pacelli. Kayla Tessmann and Karmen Lopez staved off Julie Milbauer and Anabelle Arnold 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the No. 1 doubles flight while Shayla Coppenger held off Morgan Matowitz 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. 

“When we’re looking at conference points, every two points matters. It adds up,” Nichols said. “That’s the most exciting thing to see. They just kept playing hard. They played to win and then they got the win.”

Tessmann and Lopez raced out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set and never looked back. They were broken midway through the second set to go down 2-4, but rallied to get back on serve at 4-5. Pacelli then broke Rhinelander on Lopez’s service game to take the second set and force a third.

Rhinelander jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third, but then was broken in its next two service games as Pacelli got back on serve at 4-4. Tessmann and Lopez answered with four straight point to break Pacelli in love and go up 5-4 before Tessmann served out the match. 

“Pacelli’s always a strong team, especially at doubles,” Nichols said. “They position well, they volley well and you can never count them out. If we give them some slack, they’re going to pull hard. They did that and we just had to step it up if we wanted to finish.”

    Rhinelander’s Shayla Coppenger hits a return during a GNC girls’ tennis match against Pacelli at the RHS tennis courts Tuesday, Aug. 29. Coppenger fended off Pacelli’s Morgan Matowitz 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 3 singles as part of the Hodags’ 5-2 victory in the dual. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Coppenger, a senior, struggled to shake the freshman Matowitz at No. 3 singles. Coppenger took the first two games of the set before she and Matowitz traded games the rest of the way. Coppenger double faulted to lose break point and go down 1-3 in the second set which Matowitz ultimately controlled. 

In the third set Coppenger got a break in the first game and rallied from down love-30 to hold serve in the second game and then broke Matowitz again to go up 3-0. Neither player held serve over the next four games and Coppenger finally put the match away in the eighth game.

“She was very consistent and she had great shots. She had a nice variety of shots in her arsenal and that’s a big win, freshman or not,” Nichols said.

Evelyn Sawyer and Brooke Sisel inched away for a 6-3, 6-3 win over Reagan Abel and Morgan Peterson at No. 2 doubles while Maya Patrick and Willow VanDenHeuvel cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Hannah Trzinski and Sami Schoepke at No. 3 doubles. Freshman Becca Brost took care of Caitlyn Yarbrough 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4 singles. 

“All the doubles they were all competitive,” Nichols said. “I thought we did a really nice job with our serve and serve return. That kind of stood out as a whole. We’re definitely getting better with our volleys and timing of when we need to go forward and when we need to let our partner get it. That communication is really coming along.”

Pacelli rolled in the top singles flights. Natalie Cooper, reigning GNC singles player of the year, downed Tori Riopel 6-0, 6-1 while Lauren Loesl was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Dawsyn Barkus in the second flight. 

“They’re definitely strong there,” Nichols said. “We saw them both returning from last year, both at the top of the conference. I think we competed well. We’ll work on it at practice, we’ll tweak some things and hopefully, next time, we’ll be more competitive.”

Rhinelander (8-10, 1-0 Great Northern) traveled to Phillips Thursday in a match that concluded after press time for today’s edition. The Hodags will be in Medford for a triangular on Tuesday. In addition to a conference dual against the Raiders, Rhinelander is set to face Bloomer in non-conference play.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].