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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Rochester boys tennis coach Mason Heyde’s search for doubles players is ongoing.
Nobody was able to lay claim to a doubles spot in Tuesday’s home match against Lewis Cass at the RHS courts.
The Kings swept both doubles matches and also won at No. 3 singles to earn a 3-2 win.
Rochester’s wins came from Tanner Reinartz at No. 1 singles and Robert Bozzo at No. 2 singles.
Bozzo scored the first Zebra point after beating Nolan Hines 6-3, 6-1. Reinartz, playing through an ankle injury, knocked off Byron Hurst 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
Rochester is 6-4 overall and 0-4 in the Three Rivers Conference. Three of the four losses have been by 3-2 scores.
Ashton Musselman lost 6-0, 7-5 at Liam Ellington at No. 3 singles.
Harrison Dunwoody and Carter Merideth squeezed out a first-set tiebreak win before eventually falling to Kyle Henry and Bryce Rudd 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 doubles.
Lewis Cass’ Riley Johnson and Jarin Williams handled Wade Bowers and Hunter Kamp 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. Kamp, a sophomore, was making his varsity debut.
Rochester is 1-7 in eight conference doubles matches.
“Just doubles in general, I’m just really trying to figure out who can play doubles,” Heyde said. “Even Harrison has played one doubles almost all year except for one match at three singles, and he’s not a doubles player. I’m not sure he even enjoys doubles. But the problem is I don’t have any doubles players, so I’m just trying to work around it and come up with some pair that can win every now and then.”
Reinartz relies on a kick serve and usually attacks the net behind it. Heyde said Reinartz was dealing with both an ankle injury and the swirling winds.
“He rolled his ankle three or four days ago, so he’s had it taped up,” Heyde said. “So I think it was shock-and-awe in the first set for the other kid. Tanner was having a strong serve, so he got that set 6-0 out of the way real fast, and then the other kid, while he figured that out, Tanner’s ankle started bothering him a bit, and so he was just a little slow to balls and started sailing some out because he didn’t get planted before.
“He normally wins (on) his serve, so he started the third set with one game, and then came to the side where it’s easier to get a few games off, and I think that just helped him get the momentum of get up a few games in that third set and then just grind from there.”
Bozzo was a little too aggressive early in the match, but he adjusted to the wind and won 11 of the final 13 games.
“He was close to the lines but just hitting them out,” Heyde said. “And I think he just settled in a little and took over the match.”
Musselman has seen time at both singles and doubles within the last two weeks. His performance encouraged Heyde.
“He got beat up early in the first set, and in the second set, he was really just hanging in there and grinding,” Heyde said. “I was hopeful he’d come back, and he about did, but that was just good for him to get that experience and keep seeing those guys.”
The match was originally scheduled for Monday but postponed 24 hours due to rain. Rochester has two more home conference matches against Whitko Wednesday and Maconaquah Thursday.
Results: Lewis Cass 3, Rochester 2
Singles
Tanner Reinartz (RHS) def. Byron Hurst (LC), 6-0, 2-6, 6-3
Robert Bozzo (RHS) def. Nolan Hines (LC), 6-3, 6-1
Liam Ellington (LC) def. Ashton Musselman (RHS), 6-0, 7-5
Doubles
Kyle Henry-Bryce Rudd (LC) def. Harrison Dunwoody-Carter Merideth (RHS), 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3
Riley Johnson-Jarin Williams (LC) def. Wade Bowers-Hunter Kamp (RHS), 6-1, 6-2
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