#1, #3 doubles earn honors at GNC; Raiders win two at home

MEDFORD GIRLS TENNIS

It’s no secret the Medford’s girls tennis lineup is strongest on the doubles side and that’s where the Raiders got nine of their 11 team points in Saturday’s Great Northern Conference tennis tournament at Antigo. Juniors Myah Smith and Eryka Seidl earned Medford’s highest finish in the eight-team meet earning All-GNC second-team honors at number-three doubles after their 2-1 showing. Seniors Lindsey Wildberg and Sophie Brost got honorable mention in flight one after they also went 2-1 and placed third in their bracket.

Senior Kelsey Jascor and sophomore Masaeda Krug went 1-2 and placed fourth at number-two doubles, while first-year junior Morgan Huegli got two fourthplace points by earning a first-round win at number-two singles.

The Raiders remained in sixth place in the GNC’s final standings, finishing with 51 team points. Rhinelander ran away with its 10th championship in 12 years by scoring 114 total points during the season, Stevens Point Pacelli won a tight race for second with 78 points. Newman Catholic and Antigo tied for third with 74 points and Lakeland was fifth with 64. Columbus Catholic (34) and Phillips (8) were seventh and eighth.

In the meet itself, which was suspended due to darkness Saturday and completed Monday with number-one and number-two singles and doubles championship matches played in Wausau, Rhinelander scored 30 points, followed by Pacelli and Newman with 16 each, Lakeland with 14, Antigo with 12, Medford with 11 and Columbus Catholic with six. Phillips was shut out.

The second-team honor is the first All-GNC tennis award for Smith and Seidl, who went 5-2 in GNC matches in the dual meets, including a loss in a number-two match. On Saturday, they drew the second seed in flight three and got off to a shaky start in their opening set against seventh-seeded Arianna Riley and Ariel Henney of Phillips before settling down and winning 7-6 (2), 6-2. They hit their stride in the semifinals, beating Antigo’s third-seeded team of Anna Evans and Claire Musolff 6-2, 6-1 and took the first set in the title match against top-seeded Malina Reynolds and Cassidy Cleveland of Lakeland 6-4. They nearly clinched the title in the second set, but the T-Birds survived and won it 7-5 and then took the third set 6-0.

Wildberg, a sectional qualifier in singles play last year, and Brost, who got honorable mention in the GNC at number- two singles in 2020, are in position to make a post-season run at number-one singles. They went 3-2 together in GNC duals and played well Saturday as the four-seed, sweeping Lakeland’s Hailey Curtis and Phoebe Wirtz 6-2, 6-2, putting up a good fight against top-seeded Ella Schroeder and Marissa Stolt of Pacelli in a 6-1, 6-4 loss and then beating thirdseeded Ellie Packard and Faith Bussiere of Antigo in the third-place match.

That win was a big win, according to head coach Jake Bucki, who said it should lock up a two-seed for the Raider duo at Monday’s WIAA Division 2 Antigo subsectional.

Jascor and Krug opened with a 6-0, 7-6 (2) win over Elizabeth Clancy and Calli Groth of Newman Catholic and had a chance to get to the title match in flight two. Rhinelander’s Kylee Younker and Helena Wisner outlasted them 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Lakeland’s sister team of Julianna and Kristina Ouimette, who entered the tournament as the top seed but got upset in the semifinals by eventual champions Julia Storch and Amelia Jacoby of Pacelli, edged the Raiders 6-4, 6-3 in the third-place match.

Jascor and Krug drew the second seed in the bracket after going 5-2 in GNC duals with two of those matches coming early in the year in flight one.

Bucki predicted last week Huegli was going to upset someone in Saturday’s tournament and that came in the first round when the fifth-seeded junior beat fourth-seeded Brechlyn Flannery of Antigo 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 in a thrilling first-round match. Eventual champion Kaylee Pontell of Rhinelander beat Huegli in the semifinals 6-0, 6-2 and Newman’s Ava Sukanen earned her second win of the season over Huegli in the third-place match.

Elsewhere in singles, junior Autumn Higgins drew the seventh seed in flight one and was defeated 6-0, 6-1 by Newman Catholic standout Becky Larrain. Junior Makayla Motte was seeded seventh in flight three and fell 6-1, 6-0 to eventual champion Tori Riopel of Rhinelander. Junior Christine Czeshinski was beaten 6-0, 6-3 by second-seeded Makayla Roberts of Antigo in flight four.

Monday’s subsectional meet will feature six GNC teams –– Antigo, Medford, Pacelli, Newman, Columbus and Phillips as well as Ashland and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption. Flight one semifinalists and finalists in all other flights will advance to sectional play at Baldwin-Woodville on Wednesday.

West 5, Medford 2

In a late addition to the late-season schedule, the Raiders fell 5-2 Tuesday at Wausau West. Both of Medford’s wins were recorded in doubles. The Raiders almost swept the doubles matches.

Smith and Seidl were victorious in a back-and-forth number-three match with Stella Harder and Kashia Yang. They won the first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (5), dropped the second set 6-3 but rebounded to take the match tiebreaker 11-9 to head into the post-season on a high note.

At number-one, Wildberg and Brost were straight-set 6-3, 6-3 winners over Ashley Zoborowski and Mollie Lemke. The number-two match also went to a third-set tiebreaker. Kaydee Rennie and Kateland Sillars took the first set 6-2, but Jascor and Krug evened things up with a 6-1 win in the second set. The Warriors took the tiebreaker 10-7.

The Warriors won all four singles matches in straight sets. Ruby Edmundson was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Higgins, while Motte moved up to number-two and was defeated 6-1, 6-1 by Katie Meyer. Czeshinski also moved up a flight. Anika Eder got past her at number-three 6-0, 6-1. Alyssa Brandner filled the four-spot and lost a 6-3, 6-0 decision to Abby Names.

Medford finished the year 6-13 in dual meets. Wausau West went 6-0 in Wisconsin Valley duals and sits in first place heading into that conference’s seasonending meet today, Thursday, at Wausau East.

East 6, Medford 1

In another late addition to the schedule, Medford took another trip to Wausau Monday and lost 6-1 at Wausau East.

Jascor and Krug were Medford’s winners, taking the number-two doubles match 6-2, 6-3 over East’s Maggie Winter and Elizabeth Young. Smith and Seidl came out on the short end of nearly deadeven number-three match with East’s Alaina Berres and Kyra Bleese. The Lumberjacks won the match 7-5, 7-6 (6).

In flight one, Juliet Carroll and Stella Glaser were 6-3, 6-3 winners over Brost and Wildberg.

East won all four singles matches in straight sets. Lola Berumen was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Higgins. Abbey Olson defeated Huegli 6-0, 6-1. Talia Schlindwein downed Motte 6-0, 6-2 and Samara Rezwan was a 7-6 (4), 6-2 winner over Czeshinski.

Wausau East went 4-2 in Valley duals and sits in third place heading into today’s conference meet.

2-0 on Thursday

Medford made its final home appearance of 2021 a good one by sweeping a double-dual with Ashland and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.

Medford took down the Oredockers 7-0 in round one and Assumption 5-2 in round three, while Assumption beat Ashland 6-1 in between.

The Ashland dual featured a notable win for Higgins, who found consistency with her ground strokes toward the end of her first set against Isabelle Rasmussen and dominated the second two sets in a 4-6, 6-1, 10-3 win. Higgins never trailed in the 10-point tiebreaker and broke it open with a good deep shot from, a nice back-handed drop shot and an ace during a 4-1 run that made it 7-3.

Huegli took a 6-3, 6-3 win over Abby Brew at number-two singles. After that, the Raiders buried Ashland in the other five matches.

Motte was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Emma Brouder and Czeshinski shut out Viddy Wabindato by the same score.

Brost and Wildberg were tested early by Tegan McFarlane and Hannah Milanowski at number-one doubles. The teams exchanged some outstanding volleys at the net early in their match, but the Raiders eventually settled in and dominated 6-1, 6-1. Jascor and Krug were 6-2, 6-2 winners over Megan Moffitt and Mady Brilla. Smith and Seidl had no trouble in a 6-0, 6-0 win over Lily Kovach and Mae Mullikin.

A sweep by the doubles teams led Medford to its win over Assumption. Brost and Wildberg defeated Sarah Shaw and Addi Vollert 6-2, 6-4 to earn their fifth win in their last six outings. Jascor and Krug were solid 6-3, 6-2 winners over Madelyn Stoffon and Kara Drewiske. Smith and Seidl defeated Kloey Daliege and Breanna Sullivan 6-1, 6-3.

Motte won a competitive numberthree match with Ebony Zacker 6-3, 7-5 and Huegli got a nice confidence builder going into the tournaments, rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 10-6 number-two win over Madison Pecher.

Annibelle Khang downed Czeshinski 6-3, 6-4 in a good number-four match. Izzy Jungworth swept Higgins 6-0, 6-0 in flight one.

Lindsey Wildberg Hon. Mention

Myah Smith Second Team

Medford’s Eryka Seidl receives a serve and backhands a shot back over the net during Saturday’s GNC tennis tournament in Antigo. Seidl and Myah Smith were the runners-up at number-three doubles.BOB MAINHARDT/NORTHWOODS RIVER NEWS