Hodag netters fall to Medford 5-2

The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team entered yesterday’s Great Northern Conference tournament in danger of finishing outside the top half of the conference standings for the first time as a member of the GNC.

The Hodags found themselves in that predicament after dropping a key positional match at home against Medford 5-2 on Monday. Two close losses and a juggled singles lineup hindered the Hodags as the Raiders moved four points ahead of Rhinelander for fourth in the conference entering the GNC tourney at Lakeland, which concluded after press time.

The Hodags were third in the eight-team league last year, after finishing first or second every season between 2010 and 2022. Realistically, overtaking Medford for fourth was the best Rhinelander could do entering Thursday’s play as third-place Pacelli was a full 16 points clear of the Hodags.

“That’s kind of what we’re looking at, can we chance things around come Thursday,” Hodag coach Matt Nichols said following Monday’s match. “They played a good game. They came around that second set, pushed really hard and props to them, their mental game and strategy was overpowering.”

Rhinelander’s two victories on Monday came at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles — and even though were hard-fought affairs. 

Karmen Lopez fought off a pair of set points in the first and rallied past Medford’s Natalie Preuss 7-3 in a tiebreaker. The Hodag senior went the distance as well in the second set, staving off a tiebreaker with a 7-5 win. 

“She’s really grown into a very consistent player but I think today, more than other game, it was not only consistency but taking controlled finishing shots and developing points. She did a really good job with that today,” Nichols said of Lopez. 

At No. 1 doubles, Rhinelander’s Dawsyn Barkus and Brooke Sisel were pushed to a tiebreaker by Grace Holmes and Indya Mann, which they eventually won 10-7. Barkus and Sisel took the first set 6-2 but watched Holmes and Mann rally back for a 6-4 win in the second. 

“I think Medford had a slow start, but in that second set it was back and forth, real close,” Nichols said. “To watch them win the tiebreaker was great. They’ve played hard and they’ve been in a lot of tiebreaks. It was nice to seem them play hard the entire way through it and not leave anything open to a question. To win a tiebreak, that’s a nice confidence boost for them going into the conference tourney.”

Even one more individual match win Monday would have resulted in a four-point swing that would have put Rhinelander and Medford on equal footing entering Thursday’s tournament. That win never came, however, as Audrey Ruesch inched past Kelsey Winter 7-5, 6-4 at No. 1 singles and the No. 2 doubles team of Evelyn Sawyer and Maya Patrick controlled the first set but eventually lost a tiebreaker to Lily Holmes and Bailey Metz 1-6, 6-3, 10-7.

“I think No. 1 singles, it was a close match. Medford was very consistent and that was something we struggled with,” Nichols said. “I think it’s kind of hard to stay out of your head and I think we fell into that. We rallied hard, were down 1-4 in the first set and came back to 5-4. That was good to see, a very close match but, ultimately just wasn’t able to close. 

“No. 2 doubles, I think Medford really just started to light it up at the net and that’s one thing we’ve continued to stress. We need to get touches at net. If we don’t the other team, if they’re a good doubles team, they’re going to do that and they’re going to put the ball away on us. We had some good shots in there it’s just a matter of opening up opportunities for more.”

    Rhinelander’s JaLyn LaChapelle plays a point during a GNC girls’ tennis dual meet against Medford at the RHS tennis courts Monday, Sept. 23. LaChapelle, in at No. 4 singles with Sam Aschenbrenner scratched due to an injury, lost her match in straight sets. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags were short-handed at the bottom of their singles lineup with Maddie Legrey and Sam Aschenbrenner scratched due to illness and injury, respectively. Becca Brost filled in at No. 3, falling to Makenna Tlusty, 6-0, 6-1 while JaLyn LaChapelle lost at No. 4 to Emily Kieslicha 6-1, 6-4.

Eva Heck and Willow VanDenHeuvel lost at No. 3 doubles to Hanna Dahl and Rachel Daniels, 6-1, 6-2. 

The Hodags (13-16, 3-4 Great Northern) have one more regular season match on the docket after conference, as they will travel to Wisconsin Rapids for a non-conference dual on Tuesday. 

Rhinelander will host WIAA Division 1 subsectional play Monday, Oct. 7. The Hodags were originally scheduled to host the D1 sectional as well on Oct. 9, but that event has been moved to the Menard Tennis Center in Eau Claire. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].