MEDFORD GIRLS TENNIS - Raiders finish regular season with 5-2 win over the Evergreens

MEDFORD GIRLS TENNIS

The Medford Raiders finished 12-7 and gave themselves a push into the WIAA Division 1 girls tennis post-season Tuesday with a 5-2 win over D.C. Everest in the home and regular-season finale for 2024.

The Raiders beat the Evergreens for the second time this season and by the same score, earning three singles wins and two doubles wins.

In singles play, the results were the same as they were in Medford’s win over Everest Sept. 13 in the Wausau West tournament.

Audrey Ruesch was dominant in the top flight, sweeping Everest’s Mila Bublik 6-1, 6-0 to take an 11-8 record into WIAA tournament play next week. Makenna Tlusty won her 18th singles match of the fall, rolling past Ruth Xiong in flight three 6-0, 6-1. Emily Kiselicka had no trouble in flight four, earning a second win this season over Holly Hahn 6-1, 6-2.

In a battle between players with patient playing styles content to play long points until the opponent makes a mistake, Brooklyn Costa was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Medford’s Natalie Preuss in flight two.

Medford’s top doubles team of Indya Mann and Grace Holmes evened the season score with Evergreens Qiarie Burns and Emily Ringwelski. In a match that featured many long points and deuce games, the Raiders emerged as 6-4, 6-4 winners, avenging a three-set loss from Sept. 13.

Rachel Daniels and Hannah Dahl improved to 8-1 together with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Shela Lee and Sarah Stolze at number-three doubles.

Everest’s doubles win came in flight two. Izabel Lezcano and Brynn Kampmann won the first set over Raiders Lily Holmes and Bayley Metz 6-4. Metz and Holmes took the second set 6-3, but with daylight fading, Everest’s team took the 10-point match tiebreaker 10-7.

Medford is sure to face some good competition in Monday’s WIAA Division 1 Rhinelander subsectional where flight one semifinalists and finalists in all other flights will qualify for the Oct. 9 sectional hosted by Eau Claire Memorial. Monday’s subsectional starts at 9:30 a.m. and will include the host Hodags as well as D.C. Everest, Marshfield, Merrill, Stevens Point, Wausau East, Wausau West and Wisconsin Rapids.