Hodag Highlights: Netters go 1-2 in busy week

It was a demanding week on the court for the Rhinelander High School tennis team, with the Hodags playing four matches in six days and finishing 1-2 against non-conference competition before a dominant finish Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids.
The week opened Monday and Tuesday at DC Everest, where Rhinelander faced a pair of non-conference opponents. The Hodags dropped their match against Eau Claire North 5-2 before bouncing back to edge DC Everest 4-3 in a competitive dual.
Thursday brought a tougher test, as the Stevens Point Panthers came to Rhinelander and swept all seven matches in straight sets, handing the Hodags their second loss of the week. The final tally — 7-0 in favor of Point — doesn’t fully tell the story of how competitive some of those matches were. At No. 1 singles, Asher Rivord pushed the Pointers’ top player before dropping a 6-4, 6-2 decision. At No. 4 singles, Mark Currie battled through a first-set tiebreaker before falling 7-6, then dropped the second set 6-0. In doubles play, the team of Brayden Barnhill and Kellen O’Malley lost 6-0, 6-4. The Hodags responded emphatically on Saturday, traveling to Wisconsin Rapids and posting a clean 7-0 team victory to close out the week on a high note. Rhinelander finished the week at 1-2 in non-conference play, but attention now shifts to a crucial conference match. The Hodags were scheduled to host Pacelli Monday in the final conference dual meet of the regular season. A win would put Rhinelander in first place heading into the conference tournament. The meet took place after this edition went to press.