Hodag tennis goes winless at sectionals

The postseason run for the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team came to an end Wednesday as the three flights that advanced in the WIAA tournament all went winless in a Division 1 sectional in Eau Claire.

While it was a disappointing day on the court, coach Matt Nichols, said it was an accomplishment for all six of the team’s seniors — Aiden Ostermann, Michael Schiek, Karter Massey, Payton McCue, Hart Hokens and Van Tulowitzky — to reach the second stage of the WIAA tournament series. 

“All six seniors to qualify onto sectionals is a huge feat,” he said. “You look at the rest of the sub(sectional) here, the rest of the sub in Eau Claire, and even throughout the state, there’s many seniors who did not make it onto sectionals. So for all six of them to represent the school so well and qualified on is a huge win in itself. 

“It was an exciting way to end the season and just to see the growth and all of the different shots we’re hitting. They weren’t hitting those either as consistently, or at all, in the beginning of the season. So watching all three teams grow individually and as teams has been great.”

Ostermann and Schiek needed one win in the No. 1 doubles flight to earn an automatic bid in the WIAA state tournament, but were routed 6-0, 6-0 by Hudson’s Chase Berning and Andrew Colianni, ending their season with a record of 13-9 together. 

“They saw a good Hudson team,” Nichols said. “Hudson, they made some nice plays on the balls, good returns, solid serves. It wasn’t the most energized I’ve seen us play. We didn’t play a bad game, but we didn’t play our best game and didn’t get any games from that. It was fun to watch them compete, and it was great that they made it down to sectionals. Just to be there is a great experience.”

Nichols said he did apply for the sectional’s special qualifier position in doubles on behalf of Ostermann and Schiek, but that ultimately went to the New Richmond pair of Isaac Noll and Luke Mews (18-9). Ostermann and Schiek had a notable win on their résumé, beating the sectional-champion and state-qualifying Menomonie No. 2 doubles pair of Jack Winterfeldt and Jacob Rue during the regular season. However, Noll and Mews went 1-2 in their matches against Berning and Colianni during Big Rivers Conference play — with all three matches going to either a full third set or a match tiebreaker. 

“I think we’re at a disadvantage just because in our regular season schedule, we did not see those sectional teams as frequently,” Nichols said when asked Wednesday about Schiek and Ostermann’s case for a special qualifier. “And some of the teams from other sections we played did not play their true No. 1 doubles (against us), so we didn’t get those matches.”

Massey and McCue ran into Winterfeldt and Rue in the semifinal round at No. 2 doubles on Wednesday, falling in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. They ran out of steam in the third-place match against Stevens Point’s Ian Ekstrand and Donovan Bannach, eventually falling in a match tiebreaker, 1-6, 6-4, 12-10.

McCue and Massey finished 6-5 on the season as a doubles pairing. McCue was 11-14 overall while Massey was 10-15. 

“I thought Karter and Payton played really well. I don’t know if just watching the first-round match is help him get some of the nerves out, but they came out, they swung (with) really confident strokes, high energy, moved around, placed the ball well, and really close first set there, so close to flipping it, but ultimately the 4-6 loss. And then they still played well, but I think that little bit of shift in momentum lost in some tight games in the future,” Nichols said. “Then, the tiebreak lost to SPASH up until the tiebreak, they played a great game. SPASH definitely played a little better in that second set, pushed them.”

It was a similar story of Tulowitzky and Hokens in the third flight. They dropped their opening match to Hudson’s Nick Wines/Kieran Lynch 6-1, 6-3 and then fell in a match tiebreaker to Stevens Point’s Aneesh Uriti and Reid Neuman 6-2, 5-7, 10-5. 

“I think, some mental stuff might have put us at the disadvantage of that game. They were getting quite frustrated, didn’t play as well, and it was kind of like a snowball effect,” Nichols said of his No. 3 doubles’ second match against the Panthers. “But, that first match, especially — and there were great moments in the second match as well — but just some great play. Hart had amazing net play. There were some crazy shots, nice overheads. Van’s serve has always been a strength, and he used that today. So, it was good for them. They made it through to sectionals. Both seniors first time on, the varsity 10 line and then to make it onto sectionals is a huge accomplishment, win or lose.”

Hokens and Tulowitzky finished 13-8 as a tandem.

The day closed out the season for the Hodag tennis team. Rhinelander won the Great Northern Conference title for the 11th consecutive season, but posted a 10-9 overall record in dual meets. Nichols called the season successful, considering the number of high-end starters the team had to replace from last year. He credited this year’s seniors for much of that success. 

“They brought a lot of commitment in dedication. A lot of these kids put in a lot of hours outside of the season, outside of practice during the season. Obviously, they bring a lot of talent, and that’s really helped to push and form a lot of the younger players,” he said. “And they’ve held the tradition of Rhinelander tennis strong. We look at our 11th conference championship, and there’s just no way we could have done that without the seniors. Every one of them made a huge difference in the line, whether it be directly or indirectly, and they’ve influenced their teammates and have just fostered another excellent season of Hodag tennis.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].