A perfect 21 so far for tennis team

It’s been 21 matches played and 21 matches won so far for Medford’s girls tennis team, who extended its season-opening winning streak and sweep streak to three on Tuesday by cruising past Columbus Catholic 7-0 in Great Northern Conference play on the MASH courts.

The win was Medford’s second in the GNC, putting the Raiders atop the league standings at this very early stage of the season with a perfect 28 points.

There weren’t any cliffhanger matches in Tuesday’s dual meet as the Raiders racked up straight-set wins in all seven of them against the Dons, who came into the meet with a 1-0 league record after edging Phillips 4-3 on Thursday.

In singles play, Medford’s Tallula Hahn was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Vivian Graham in flight one, Kadence Weix won by the same score in flight two over Azariah Hoffman McGee and Caidyn Zenner quickly swept Bella Maurer in flight three 6-0, 6-0. Raylin Rothmeier completed the singles sweep by taking the number-four match 6-3, 6-2 over Norah Alcott.

The doubles matches were also decided quite quickly. Makenna Tlusty and Bayley Metz took the number-one match 6-0, 6-1 over Anna Callaghan and Callie Bell. Chloe Kapitz and Ellie Eckert earned a clean sweep at number-two over Monica Thill and Hannah Loucks, 6-0, 6-0, and Uliah Etsitty and Averie Werner did the same at numberthree with Columbus Catholic’s Rachel Loucks and Elizabeth Bergs.

Tougher dual meets do await the Raiders, likely starting today, Thursday, when Medford visits Lakeland at 4:30 p.m. The Thunderbirds are the reigning GNC champions but they lost the vast majority of the girls responsible for that 2024 title. Lakeland has accumulated 22 conference points while going 1-1 thus far in league play.

Then, on Friday and Saturday, Medford will get a handful of duals played during the Altoona Invitational. The host Railroaders, Eau Claire North and Onalaska Luther are among the better teams Medford will face during the weekend, according to head coach Jake Bucki.

Medford returns to the home courts Tuesday to face Antigo at 4:30 p.m. The Raiders will head north to face rival Rhinelander on Sept. 4.

Medford 7, Ellsworth 0

A lengthy number-three doubles match and a competitive number-one doubles match highlighted Medford’s 7-0 nonconference win over Ellsworth in Friday’s morning’s home opener on the MASH courts.

Tlusty and Metz won the number-one match in straight sets over Alissa Davis and Brooke Olson, but it was a battle. The Raiders’ top duo won the first set 6-4 and then took three of the last four games in set two to win it 7-5 and prevent the match from going to a 10-point third-set tiebreaker.

At number-three, Etsitty and Werner quickly won their first set with Ellsworth’s Aria Mennenga and Anna Oleson 6-2. But the Panthers’ team played better in the second set and won it 6-4 to force a tiebreaker. That tiebreaker went back and forth all the way to the end with each team having multiple chances to end it before Etsitty and Werner finally got the twopoint margin needed to do so at 14-12.

Medford took the other five varsity matches in straight sets. Kapitz and Eckert won the number-two doubles match 6-1, 6-0 over Maia Friesen and Bridget Dendinger.

In singles, Hahn controlled her flightone match with Bailey Oleson 6-3, 6-0. Weix earned a solid 6-2, 6-3 win over Madi Maxwell in flight two. Zenner cruised in flight three, only struggling a bit at the very end of the second set of a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maggie Pechacek. Rothmeier rolled in flight four, beating Ani Whelan 61, 6-2.

Medford 7, Merrill 0

In the Great Northern Conference and season opener Thursday, Medford earned a 7-0 shutout win over the host Merrill Blue Jays. But, there were at least a couple of tough matches along the way.

At number-one singles, Hahn was involved in the only match that went the distance. She took the first set against Emily Frahm 6-2, then Frahm answered with a 6-3 win in set two. Hahn won the third set 8-6 to take the match.

Weix came back from a deficit in the second set to win her number-two match with Greta Peterson 6-1, 6-4 and Rothmeier won the last five games in set two to take her flight-four match with Claire Hintz 6-0, 6-4. Zenner dominated Rose Dornbrack 6-1, 6-0 in flight three.

Tlusty and Metz were 6-0, 6-0 winners over Grace Hoock and Jazlin Severt in flight-one doubles, Kapitz and Eckert beat Korina Kraegenbrink and Jenna Malluege 6-2, 6-0 at number-two and Etsitty and Werner defeated Parker Wagenaar and Addison Pickard 6-2, 6-0.