Hodag tennis beats Lakeland, but loses ground in GNC race

As the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team looks to keep pace with the top of the conference and to stay in reach of its 12th straight conference title, traveling to Lakeland Union High School on April 28 for a conference tennis match could prove to be more of a step back than a step forward.

Though the Hodags got the win 4-3, conference contender Medford beat the Thunderbirds 5-2, and with how the conference scoring works, every flight is important.

Head coach Matt Nichols said that the pursuit of a 12th consecutive conference championship “definitely took a step back today.” In fact, Medford moved into a first-place tie with the Hodags at 30 points thanks to a 7-0 win over Pacelli Tuesday. Both teams have one conference dual remaining before the conference tournament — Medford at Ashland may 5 and Pacelli at Rhinelander May 12.

“When we look at, like, how the points work, every flight win is important,” he explained. “We beat Lakeland 4-3 and Medford, who is really close (in the conference race), they beat them 5-2. So, I mean, it was a win, but it doesn’t feel like a great win, considering where we wanted to be at the end of the dual. I mean, it takes us forward, but it doesn’t help us move ahead.”

The Nos. 1-4 singles flights all took matches in straight sets, but Lakeland’s stacked doubles swept the three flights of Hodags. 

Asher Rivord took the win from Adam Roska for No. 1 singles by a score of 6-1 and 6-3. No. 2 singles victory came when Calvin Loomis triumphed over Avery DeVries, 6-0 and 6-0. Aidan Lueder followed suit, beating Will Walden in the No. 3 flight. The No. 4 flight was forfeited in favor of Rhinelander’s Mark Currie.

Lakeland reversed the script on the Hodags’ doubles flights, winning some closely contested matches in Nos. 1 and 3 doubles.  

Thunderbird No.1 doubles flight of Andrew Colianni and Main Byram were victorious over Rhinelander’s Danek Koniar and Henry Bonardelli 6-0 in the first set, but Koniar and Bonardelli made it a close second set, 7-5. No. 2 doubles Brayden Barnhill and Owen Evers couldn’t outlast the Lakeland duo of Marshall Czlapinski and Jayden Shepski and fell 3-6 and 4-6. 

Doubles play was rounded out with the No. 3 flight of Hodags Kellen O’Malley and Sam Loomis losing to Lakeland’s AJ Blatner and Danny Hartzheim 6-7 and 0-6. 

Nichols said that moving forward the team will improve some of the movements toward the ball and being more proactive instead of reactive. 

“I think really doubling down on some, I guess, mainly movement, and adjusting to the ball,” he said will help the Hodags as they keep moving through the season. “We did not do a good job with that and just, looking for opportunities rather than being maybe in positions where we’re reactive, thinking about how we can be proactive and in developing the points and then pouncing on opportunities to put balls away and win points.”

The Nos. 1 and 2 doubles flights for the Thunderbirds have defeated both Rhinelander and Medford, giving Lakeland strength in the doubles flights as they toppled top conference opponents. 

De Pere Invite

Tuesday’s win came on the heels of a 3-2 weekend at the De Pere Invite April 24-25. Rhinelander scored wins over Pulaski (6-1), Greenfield (4-3) and Ashwaubeon (7-0) while losing to De Pere (7-0) and Mukwonago (6-1). 

Nichols said the mix of competition outside both the GNC and the subsectional was beneficial for his team to see at this point of the season. 

“We got to see some competition that we competed with, we were more talented (than),” he said. “So, you know, what can we do well? What can we produce? And then on the flip side of that, we saw teams that are, at a different level, exposing some of our weaknesses, and it was good to see those. The kids get to see some higher-level play. Getting to see both of those things over five different matches, getting the reps in, that experience was huge for these guys.”

    Rhinelander’s Aidan Lueder hits a return during a GNC boys’ tennis match against Lakeland Tuesday, April 28 in Minocqua. Lueder, coming off a 4-1 weekend in De Pere, won his match at No. 3 singles in straight sets on Tuesday. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Lueder had a strong weekend at No. 3 singles and nearly won all five matches. The lone blemish on his record came against De Pere’s Hudson Greene. Lueder rallied from down a set in that match, and then forced extra points in the tiebreaker before falling 6-4, 3-6, 14-12.

Lueder won the remaining four matches in straight sets. 

“In a competitive tourney, he really proved to be a rock,” Nichols said. “He’s grown so much in his game. The mentality is a huge piece that has come a long way. You look at the tiebreak he stayed strong. Even in the loss, he was essentially in overtime, just lost by two. And then just playing some other tough opponents, he’s right there and it was a great weekend for him. I’m proud of him.”

Rivord and Calvin Loomis each went 3-2 on the weekend. They took Nos. 1 and 2 singles in each of the matches the Hodags won — Pulaski, Greenfield and Ashwaubenon. Currie split his matches at No. 4 singles and fellow freshman Juan Diego Grage captured the win at No. 4 singles against Ashwaubenon in a tiebreaker.

In doubles the No. 1 tandem of Koniar and Bonardelli won two matches, as did the pairing of Barnhill and Evers. Barnhill moved from No. 4 singles to pair with Evers for four matches over the weekend between Nos. 2 and 3 doubles. Sam Loomis and O’Malley went 1-4 together on the weekend. 

“I think we found some nice pairs of doubles, some competitive pairs, especially with the No. 2 doubles of Brayden Barnhill and Owen (Evers),” Nichols said. “I think those can definitely grow together and they were they were competing well. Kellen and Sam, they’re a good pair. They;ve been together for a while now, but really just trying to figure out where they fit and I think they’ll land at the No. 3. Mark played some good No. 4 singles for us. Juandy, he also played some nice No. 4 singles for us. It was fun to see some different combinations and get ultimately closer to a more concrete lineup.”

Up next

The Hodags will play in another two-day multi-dual invite today and tomorrow in Wausau and then will head to D.C. Everest Monday, May 4 for a non-conference triangular with the Evergreens and Eau Claire North.

River News sports editor Jeremy Mayo contributed to this report.

Blake Richard may be reached via email at [email protected].