Raiders break into the GNC win column

MEDFORD GIRLS TENNIS

Sophie Brost and Lindsey Wildberg earned a three-set win at number-one doubles and Morgan Huegli got a key singles win to help the Medford Raiders get into the Great Northern Conference girls tennis win column with Tuesday’s 4-3 win at Columbus Catholic.

The Raiders swept the doubles matches and needed one singles victory to take the dual. Huegli got it, taking down Declyn Tracy 6-1, 6-1 in the number-two match to secure the team victory.

Medford is 1-5 in the GNC and 3-11 overall heading into the final GNC dual meet of the fall today, Thursday, against winless Phillips on the MASH courts.

Kelsey Jascor and Masaeda Krug had no trouble at number-two doubles, sweeping Columbus Catholic’s Eva Schiferl and Alliah Immerfall 6-0, 6-1 and the number-three team of Myah Smith and Eryka Seidl continued to win at flight three, defeating Denali Volkman and Jade Kuhn 6-0, 6-0.

The number-one match, however, was more competitive.

Columbus Catholic’s Maya Kuhn and Maria Elizabeth Garcia-Moya took the first set over Brost and Wildberg 6-3. Medford’s senior duo regrouped and took the second set 6-3 and then kept the momentum and ran with it in the third set, sweeping to a clinch- ing 6-0 win.

Columbus Catholic got a 6-0, 6-0 win at number-one singles from Maria Laura Garcia-Moya, who defeated Autumn Higgins. Akosua Yeboah swept Raider Makayla Motte 6-0, 6-0 at number-three and Maggie Callaghan won a close one over Medford’s Christine Czeshinski at number-four 6-3, 7-5.

After today’s dual with Phillips, Medford will take a week off before hosting Ashland and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in a double dual that starts at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 23. A Saturday tournament at Altoona has been canceled.

Pacelli 6, Medford 1

The Raiders got a win from their number-three doubles team and came up short in a couple of close matches in a 6-1 loss the Pacelli Cardinals Thursday on the MASH courts.

At the time, the victory boosted Pacelli’s GNC record to 4-0.

Smith and Seidl dominated their match 6-1, 6-1 over Lucy Gwidt and Julie Milbauer to improve to 3-1 in the third flight in GNC play and 6-4 overall together.

The closest matches of the meet came in singles. In flight three, Motte went to a tiebreaker in both sets against Amanda Lansing, but Lansing won each of them to earn the straight set win. After Motte and Lansing tied 6-6 in the first set, Lansing won the tiebreaker 7-3. She took the second one 7-5.

In flight four, Czeshinski controlled the opening set with Alaina Sbonik 6-1, but Sbonik extended the match by taking the second set 6-4. The girls tied in the third set 6-6, meaning the set and match would be determined by a tiebreaker, which Sbonik won 7-3.

In flight two, Huegli had the lead in the first set, but was unable to close it out and Lauren Loesl rallied for a 7-5, 6-2 win. Natalie Cooper cruised past Higgins 6-0, 6-0 in the top singles flight.

Pacelli’s 2020 GNC Doubles Players of the Year and state qualifiers Ella Schroeder and Marissa Stolt outlasted Wildberg and Brost 6-4 in a competitive first set and then closed out the sweep 6-1. In flight two, Amelia Jacoby and Anabelle Arnold were 6-3, 6-2 winners over Jascor and Krug.

Medford’s Morgan Huegli goes to her backhand side to send the ball back over the net during her Thursday loss to Pacelli’s Lauren Loesl.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS