Hodags tennis wraps up season at sectionals

The season came to an end Wednesday for the Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team as it won one of its three matches in a WIAA Division 1 sectional in Eau Claire.

Freshman Lucy Evers finished as a the runner-up at No. 4 singles, surviving a marathon match in the first round to reach the finals, while the No. 1 doubles tandem of Teagan Turcotte and Maddie Legrey lost in straight sets in their only match of the day. 

    Rhinelander’s Teagan Turcotte hits returns during a WIAA Division 1 subsectional in Wausau Monday, Oct. 6. Turcotte and Maddie Legrey, a pair of seniors, concluded their careers with a straight-set loss at a WIAA Division 1 sectional in Eau Claire this past Wednesday. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

For Turcotte and Legrey (14-14), both seniors, winning their sectional qualifier and clinching a berth at the WIAA state meet was always going to be a tough task. After advancing as the No. 4 seed out of the Wausau West subsectional, their first match at sectionals was against the No. 1 seed from the Eau Claire Memorial subsectional — Memorial’s Sophie McBride and Emily Halfen (25-6). That tandem cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Turcotte and Legrey and eventually claimed the sectional championship at the flight.

“I think at No. 1 doubles they put some good shots together. They had some nice finishing points and returns, serves, nice shot down the line. But, you know, just not consistent enough to win the game,” Hodag tennis coach Matt Nichols said. 

    Rhinelander’s Maddie Legrey hits a return during a WIAA Division 1 subsectional in Wausau Monday, Oct. 6. Legrey and Teagan Turcotte, a pair of seniors, concluded their careers with a straight-set loss at a WIAA Division 1 sectional in Eau Claire this past Wednesday.
  

Regardless, Nichols said the seniors came a long way —playing at the top flight of doubles this year after platooning in the third flight a season ago. 

“Looking at both of their careers, they’ve put in a lot of time, a lot of hours and have worked really hard to develop their games,” he said. “Both made a jump up to the No. 1 doubles flight and, early season, the road was a bit rocky. There were growing pains, but it was fun to see them stick it out, grow together, get the win at subsectionals and then finish their season down at sectionals. It’s cool for them to be able to do that. Not everyone is able to do that, so it’s great to see them as seniors finish there.”

Evers, as the top seed from the Wausau West subsectional at No. 4 singles took on the No. 2 seed from the Eau Claire Memorial subsections, Superior sophomore Anna James. That was no easy assignment, given that James was 21-2 on the season entering the tournament. The two were locked in a long tussle that Evers eventually came back to win 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.

“Lucy, she really poured her heart and soul into that first match, especially,” Nichols said. “I mean she was hustling balls down like crazy, lost the first set, comes back in the second set. And not only the hustle and the heart, but the ability to adapt was really cool to see in her gameplay. And then all ultimately when that tiebreak goes to show the strength that she has to persevere in those tight matches.” 

Evers then faced Eau Claire Memorial senior Clara Parkhurst in the finals and fell, 6-3, 6-0.

“I think Lucy was a little exhausted, both mentally and physically, from that first match, but (Parkhurst), she was a very consistent player,” Nichols said. “She moved the ball well. Just very fundamentally strong single strategy, very few errors. Like I said, she moved to the ball well, kept it deep and it took Lucy away from a lot of offensive plays.”

There would have been no automatic path for Evers to qualify for state, even had she won the championship match at No. 4 singles. Only the top four finishers in the No. 1 flight and the sectional champion at No. 2 are guaranteed tickets to the state meet. 

Regardless, Evers became the first Hodag to place at sectionals since 2023, when Tori Riopel finished third at No. 1 singles and qualified for the state meet. 

“It’s exciting to see a freshman make varsity and then for a freshman to qualify onto sectionals and then not only get there, but also to place,” Nichols said. “It is a really cool feat and that is going to pay dividends in the future, just for growth. Being able to build off the momentum from this season will help her in the long run.”

The Hodags finished the season with an 18-8 record in dual meets. They went 7-1 in Great Northern Conference play and finished tied for third in the conference tournament. Nichols said it was a step in the right direction for his team following a couple of down seasons. 

“Beyond that, just the young energy coming up, especially that sophomore class, they’re very excited about getting better, talking about the off season, very open to coaching and I’m excited to see where they go,” he said. “They got a lot of experience through the season, learned through the seniors. The seniors brought a lot. And it was a great season.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].