Antigo High School Tennis Results
FOR ANTIGO TIMES
The tennis team traveled to Rhinelander recently for their Great Northern Conference tournament. Avery Nicholson started her day as the #2 seed, making her first match against Phillips a seamless 6-0, 6-0 victory. Moving on to face Rhinelander’s Annika Johnson, Avery stepped up her game. Avery hustled for ungettable shots and fired hard, fast ground strokes to move on to the championship match against Newman’s #1 seeded, Becky Larrain. Avery played great tennis, but Larrain was too tough to pass up. Nicholson finished as a 2nd Team All Conference Award at the #1 singles flight. Ellie Kelly faced a similar path at #2 singles. Her first match was against Pacelli’s Amelia Jacoby. Ellie started strong, making few errors for a clear win. Next, Ellie moved on to face Newman’s Ali Bennett. This match was a step up from her previous match, so Ellie hit harder and moved the ball around more to eventually pull ahead with the win. The championship match for Ellie was against’ Rhinelander’s Kennedy VanZile. Ellie started strong with a lead, but Kennedy closed the gap. Both girls played clean and beautiful tennis, forcing the other to push just a little harder. In the end, sadly, Kennedy pulled ahead with the win, leaving Ellie with the 2nd Team All Conference title. At #3 singles, Margo Kelly, started her day with an easy match against Newman. Her next opponent, Pacelli’s Allison Lange, didn’t give Margo any trouble either. Margo took chances by moving around and varying her shot; her strategies got her into the championship match, another Antigo vs. Rhinelander face-off. Margo started strong and comfortable, but Rhinelander’s Kaylee Pontell pushed back; her resilience to Margo’s hit variation ultimately gave Rhinelander another win over us. Margo ended with a 2nd Team All Conference title. Finally, Brechlyn Flannery’s undefeated record at the #4 singles spot made her a favorite in the bracket. Her first match against Medford’s Kiana Haenel went smoothly. She then moved on to face Pacelli’s Julia Storch. Even though the competition was a bit harder, Brechlyn gave it her all, earning herself another win. Brechlyn’s championship match was against Kat Metropulos from Rhinelander, a repeat of a three hour match that Brechlyn managed to win earlier in the season. Kat was out for revenge against Brechlyn. Even though Brechlyn changed the pace of the game and never gave up, Kat ended up getting the win. Brechlyn ended her impressive season with a 2nd Team All Conference honor
The #1 doubles team, Greta Parsons and Jenna Lenzner, started their day facing Newman’s Sukanen and Welter, a team they hadn’t yet faced this season. Parsons and Lenzner had their hands full with the new Newman duo. The game was fast paced and full of aggressive net play. After battling illnesses all week leading up to this demanding match, Antigo’s usually powerful #1 duo struggled to pull ahead on the courts, knocking them out of the tournament in the first round. Lily Nicholson and Julia Westen had a better start to their day at #2 doubles. They outplayed Columbus Catholic’s Kitzhaber and Kuhn. Nicholson and Westen went on to face Medford’s impressive #2 team. Medford left Antigo in the dust in the first set, but Nicholson and Westen came out swinging in the second set, forcing a third set to determine the match. Medford proved that they weren’t going to give in, and Antigo’s Nicholson and Westen couldn’t slow down their opponent’s momentum. A loss to Medford put Antigo’s #2 doubles team in a match to play for third place. After a short break, Nicholson and Westen went out onto the courts with fresh attitudes. Their hustle and communication came through for a well deserved win against Newman’s Lo and Clancy. Lily Nicholson and Julia Westen earned an All Conference Honorable Mention award. Finally, Ellie Preboski and Elli Stank started their journey at #3 doubles against Phillips Sawami and Foytik. Their first match was quick and easy, moving them forward. Next they faced Medford’s Clark and Jascor for another powerful victory for the pair. As Preboski and Stank moved into the championship match it seemed as though they were unstoppable; the only thing standing in their way was Rhinelander’s #1 seeded Haverkampf and Thiel. The first set did not go in our favor, but a small margin gave Preboski and Stank the perseverance to play stronger. Preboski’s hard angles at the net and Stank’s consistency from the baseline gave Antigo the edge in the second set. There was no stopping Preboski and Stank at that point, as they dominated every aspect of the game. Their intensity paid off, as they earned they won their bracket and earned 1st Team All Conference honors!
In the end, Antigo finished second in the conference with 107 total points to Rhinelander’s 125 points. Next up will be sub-sectionals at SPASH.