Seniors shine for Hodag tennis at subsectionals

The seniors on the Rhinelander High School tennis team were able to extend their careers by at least one more day. 

All six of the seniors on the varsity roster played doubles, and all six of them advanced out of the seven-team WIAA Division 1 subsectional hosted by the Hodags Tuesday at the RHS tennis courts. 

The teams of Michael Schiek and Aiden Ostermann, Payton McCue and Karter Massey, and Hart Hokens and Van Tulowitzky all needed to win just one time to advance to Wednesday’s sectional round in Eau Claire. As a team the Hodags went 4-4 in contested matches as they took second in a subsectional that included all the schools from the Wisconsin Valley Conference. 

“As a team, early season, we had said we wanted to get five (flights) through, so fell short of that. But it was it was overall a great day and it really exciting for the seniors,” Hodag coach Matt Nichols said. “Some of them, it’s their first time going to play at sectionals and it’s very well earned by all of them.” 

    Rhinelander’s Karter Massey hits a return during a WIAA Division 1 boys’ tennis subsectional at the RHS tennis courts Tuesday, May 27. Massey, playing at No. 2 doubles with teammate Payton McCue, advanced to sectionals thanks to a straight-set victory. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Part of the reason the Hodags didn’t get as many flights through was the fact that they stacked doubles on Tuesday, using a lineup that they had tinkered with in non-conference matchups during the regular season. Payton McCue and Karter Massey, who were the Hodags’ Nos. 1 and 2 singles players during the conference season, moved to No. 2 doubles for the tournament while Ostermann and Schiek stayed at the No. 1 flight. That made the Hodags stronger at No. 3 doubles as Tulowitzky and Hokens, the GNC champs at No. 2, bumped down a flight for the postseason. 

“It became a really big priority, especially looking at the strengths of each of those individual seniors,” Nichols said of the desire to put them all together in doubles for the postseason. “Their game lends itself more to doubles than singles. So for them to move into that lineup and then use their strengths in doubles and move on is super exciting.”

Ostermann and Schiek, the No. 2 seed in the top doubles flight, advanced with an easy 6-0, 6-2 win over D.C. Everest’s Owen Gavrila and Quinten Schommer. McCue and Massey got the second seed and a first-round bye at No. 2 doubles where they cruised to sectionals with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Wausau East’s Alex Wunsch and Tim Hughes. Hokens and Tulowitzky were the top seed in the third flight, earning a first-round bye. They defeated Wausau West’s Teagan Deffner and Masaki Lor 6-2, 6-3 to advance. 

“They’re all solid, very strong teams, and they earned some top seeds,” Nichols said. “So that was kind of expected, but still important that they played hard, played strong and walked away with the win. They all did that and it’s great to see.”

The flip side to a strong doubles lineup was that the Hodags were inexperienced in singles. Despite that, Rhinelander was able to pick up a win in singles and threatened to advance a few more flights. 

The highlight of the day on that side was sophomore Calvin Loomis, who moved up from No. 4 to No. 2 singles and received the sixth seed. He upset third-seeded Tim Waller for Everest 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round, where he lost to second-seeded Antonio Koehn of Marshfield. 

“His huge strength has always been his consistency and that — paired with some nice, angled shots — really, one in the match,” Nichols said of Loomis’s upset over Waller. “Beyond that, in those tight matches, mentality, you can’t just throw that out the window. Obviously that shows a very strong, strong game and I think it was a little draining for him. (It was) a tight match, (he) had to fight through. Every point was a battle. But that consistency and then those angled shots are huge. He used those to his advantage today.”

Lueder, despite limited singles action, had the second seed in the No. 4 singles draw and earned a bye. With a trip to sectionals on the line, Lueder fell to Everest’s Keagan Carlson in a match tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-4, 12-10.

“Aidan Lueder, for having just started this year to be one point away from sectionals is a huge accomplishment for him. And it’s a nice foreshadowing of things to come,” Nichols said.

Sophomore Asher Rivord bumped up to No. 1 singles on Tuesday and fell in straight sets to Marshfield’s Kai Reis, 6-3, 6-0 with a trip to sectionals on the line. Freshman Braydon Lorman was beaten in straight sets by Wausau’s East’s Julio Flores, 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round at No. 3 singles. 

“They’ve got future subsectionals and gameplay in general ahead of them. So for them to get that experience, kind of see that top level where they’re at, assess that, but also where they’re going to is huge in their development,” Nichols said of his all-underclassman singles lineup. 

Sectionals took place Wednesday in Eau Claire and were ongoing as of press time for today’s edition. Ostermann and Schiek needed to win their first match at No. 1 doubles to advance to state while Massey and McCue needed to win both matches at No. 2 doubles to earn an automatic berth. Tulowitzky and Hokens did not have an automatic pathway to state at No. 3 doubles, but were still in position to close out their careers on a high note. 

“We got some big hopes. We have two flights that have shots at state. So it’ll be an exciting day for them, potentially a No. 3 doubles sectional champ. So big things to come,” Nichols said Tuesday. “Just hoping everyone can play their best tennis win or lose and enjoy their potentially last time playing.”

All three flights had lost their first-round matches as of press time. A full report will be published in Tuesday’s River News.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].