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With fourth place in the conference hanging in the balance and the No. 2 doubles team of Brock Stollfuss and Brandon Yanez looking defeated after dropping a close second set 4-6, Adrian Granados delivered a pep talk.
“I told them that they looked like they had just lost the match, but they still had an entire tiebreaker to fight for,” the Ripon High School head boys’ tennis coach said. “Roncalli’s duo was very optimistic and happy, but we were the complete opposite. I told Brandon and Brock that the only reason they felt happy and we felt sad was because they had just won the second set, but overall both duos had battled evenly. I told them that our emotions tell us it’s much worse to lose the second set than the first, but when we reach a tiebreaker, we leave it behind. We have just as much of a chance to win the tiebreaker as they do because we fought evenly to get there.”
The talk paid off as Stollfuss and Yanez were able to grind out a hard-fought 10-7 win in the tiebreaker to take the match and give Ripon the 4-3 road victory over the Roncalli Jets last week Friday and fourth place in the conference.
The No. 2 duo won the first set 6-4, before dropping the second set 4-6 to force the crucial tiebreaker.
Granados noted that during the tiebreaker, Stollfuss “showed incredible veteran leadership.”
“His attention was completely locked onto the match, and he continually encouraged Brandon,” Granados said. “He showed the most hustle I have seen from him, and he put away the final point with a smash. Our entire team was so happy that Brock and Brandon never gave up and pushed through the tiebreaker to put us into the top half of the conference.”
Also helping the Tigers finish in the top half of the conference, which is a goal they set at the beginning of the season as they wanted to match their position from last year, was Jon Muenchow. The senior won at No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-1.
Ripon also scored victories over the Jets via forfeit from Andrew Madson at No. 4 singles and the No. 3 doubles team of Owen Nankervis and Riley Kuzelka to clinch the fourth spot in the conference.
Dropping hard-fought matches for the Tigers against Roncalli were Brayden Parmelee at No. 3 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Oliver Roeper and Emerson Hendricks.
Much like the No. 2 doubles team of Stollfuss and Yanez, Parmelee forced a third-set tiebreaker after splitting his first two sets 6-3, 0-6, but lost the tiebreaker 1-10. Roeper and Hendricks battled tough at No. 1 doubles, but fell 4-6, 4-6.
Also dropping a match against Roncalli was Evan Bergemann at No. 2 singles. He lost 1-6, 0-6.
Tigers top undermanned Waupun
Ripon took care of business last week Thursday as it defeated the undermanned Waupun Warriors 7-0 at home.
“Jon continued with his domination on the court,” Granados said. “His teammates followed suit as every player and doubles team won convincingly. I am happy that every player put in effort and refused to take the match lightly.”
Muenchow was the lone Tiger to not drop a game in a contested match as he won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Bergemann at No. 2 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Roeper and Hendricks won their contested matches 6-0, 6-1, while Madson prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles to help Ripon record the sweep.
Recording victories 2-0, 2-0 via forfeit were Parmelee at No. 4 singles, the No. 2 doubles team of Stollfuss and Yanez and the No. 3 doubles team of Kuzelka and Nankervis.
Ripon switches up lineup, defeats Wayland Academy
Facing Wayland Academy last week Tuesday in a non-conference dual, Roeper was granted his wish.
The senior, who has begged Granados to let him play one match at singles, was provided that opportunity as he was moved into the No. 2 singles position. He didn’t squander it either as he won on a tiebreaker 6-3, 4-6, 10-1.
Granados noted it was the first tiebreaker Roeper has won and also gives him “a perfect singles varsity record across his entire high school career,” which is “a historic achievement.”
Roeper wasn’t the only Tiger to have success and fun against Wayland Academy as Ripon won 6-1 as a team.
Another noteworthy match according to Granados came at No. 4 singles, where Parmelee won 6-0, 6-0.
“Brayden is known for having the longest match at every single meet,” the Ripon head coach said. “The rest of the team is typically waiting for his match at the end. For the first time ever, Brayden was the first player done with his match after crushing his opponent.”
With Roeper moving to singles, Hendricks and Madson also played together for the first time at No. 1 doubles and earned what Granados described as “a commanding victory.” They won their match 6-2, 6-2.
Also recording solid contested wins for Ripon were Muenchow at No. 1 singles (6-2, 6-1) and Stollfuss and Yanez at No. 2 doubles (6-2, 6-0). The No. 3 doubles team of Kuzelka and Nankervis won 2-0, 2-0 as a result of a forfeit.
Dropping the Tigers’ lone match in the dual was Bergemann, who fell 3-6, 5-7 at No. 3 singles.
Up next
Ripon closed out its regular season Tuesday with a home dual against Howards Grove that finished after press time.
It now is focused on the subsectional meet Monday, May 22 in Portage.
Among the schools that will be in attendance along are Ripon include host Portage, Edgewood, Mauston, Viroqua/Westby, Waupun and Wayland Academy. No. 1 singles and doubles needs to win just one match to advance to sectionals, while all other positions need to secure two victories to punch their tickets to the next round.
The sectional meet will take place Wednesday, May 24 in East Troy.
Both meets begin at 9 a.m.
