RUFFNeC's MEDIA - Articles

Ackerman Win Pushes the Pioneers Past Elkhorn

9/14/2022

With the dual standing in a 4-4 tie after two hours of play, only one match was left to decide the outcome of the team dual. The last Pioneer on the court was Zach Ackerman and the weight of the team was on his shoulders. Similar to shooting free throws with no time on the clock, Ackerman had the pressure of the entire night on his shoulders.
Exhausted after playing an earlier doubles match with Eli Davis that went 14 games, which they ended up winning 8-6, Ackerman was once again caught in a marathon match. With the score 6-3 and Ackerman playing well, it looked liked the match was going to be over soon. However, Sophomore Jack Frye battled back, attacking Ackerman’s bandhand and forcing Zach to cover the entire court. Frye made a statement when he pushed the match to 7-6 after nearly ten deuce points.
Frustrated, Ackerman composed himself and began to battle. He changed his strategy and started hitting more top spin forehands, which complemented his cut shots that had worked earlier in the match, but Frye had figured out. Neither of these two gave an inch and pushed the match to 8-8, the only tiebreak of the night. At this point, Ackerman took control and methodically kept the ball in play and found the energy it took to win 7-2.
While Ackerman’s match was huge, it wouldn’t be possible without Anthony Robinson and Connor Causgrove dominating at the top of the order. Both Robinson and Causgrove pushed their doubles record to 6-0 and their overall records to 12-2 with an 8-2 #1 doubles win and 8-1 & 8-2 singles wins.
This was a big win for the Pioneers after a disappointing loss on Monday to the Waverly Vikings. While the Elkhorn team may be young, consisting of only one Senior and three Sophomores, they are well-coached, confident and extremely hard working. Coach McNeely commented “This was a big win against a very good team. Every one of their guys are consistent and just battle so hard.” The Pioneers push their record of the season to 7-4. Their next match will be Thursday at home against Omaha Buena Vista.

Pioneer Tennis Starts Fast

9/8/2022

After the first two weeks of the tennis season the Pioneers are starting to find their stride and solidifying the lineup for the rest of the season. At the top of the order are #1 Singles Anthony Robinson (9-2) and #2 Connor Causgrove (10-1) who also combine for an undefeated doubles record. These two have been an impressive duo scoring 32-8 in their four matches which included two strong teams in Omaha Skutt and Beatrice.
Junior Adam Dia looks to have won the #3 spot and seems to be moving forward at #2 doubles with Eli Davis, who is in his first year of tennis. Coach McNeely commented “It usually takes players a good year of learning the game and feeling comfortable, but Eli has caught on quickly and has enough athleticism to be dangerous. If he keeps listening and continues to improve, this could be a very good #2 doubles team.”
Davis will be battling in practice with fellow Seniors Zach Ackerman, Lucas Nielsen, Landen Clark, Ethan Graves, and Sophomore Cutler Adams for the final 3 singles spots. When asked about the plethora of Seniors McNeely said “Having a solid Senior class is a great problem to have, but at some point several of them will need to start distiancing themselves and make it an easier decision for me.”
The Pioneers are currently 6-3 on their dual matches this year with two of their biggest challenges next week with Waverly coming to Nebraska City on Monday and the team traveling to Elkhorn on Tuesday. The team will then cap off a busy week with home triangular with the two new schools in Omaha, Buena Vista and Westview. Coaching Buena Vista is Nebraska City Alumnus Langston Hoover who is currently in the teacher education program at UNO and in his first year of coaching.

Boys Tennis Outlook

8/24/2022

by Briana Lopez
On Thursday, August 25th the boys tennis team will be having an IntraSquad Scrimmage to prepare for their first match that is coming up the following week. The match will be hosted at South Sioux City on Monday, August 29th.
Now, how are the tennis boys feeling this week? Are they scared, nervous or excited? The team is led by Connor Causgrove and Anthony Robinson. Causgrove states “I feel confident and nervous because we have a consistent team from Varsity to JV.” This is expected, as anyone would be nervous, starting off the season. Cosgrove’s expectations for the season are “Fighting hard enough to make it to state, and as a team win as many matches as possible.” Everyone is excited to compete and have a fun, fulfilling season!

State Tennis Medalist

10/22/2021

The goal for the Pioneer tennis team at the start of each year is to find a way to medal at State. Last year the team entered state with one of the top teams in Class B so it was a foregone conclusion the Pioneers would earn some hardware. In fact 4 of the 6 Pioneers brought home medals. This year was the story of those two young men who were denied last year.
After missing the medal round by the skin of their teeth in 2020 Caleb Poggemeyer (12) and Connor Causgrove (11) set their minds to getting over that hump in 2021. Both boys started that journey in the winter of 2021 when they began taking lessons every Sunday at Woods Tennis Center. Gradually they sharpened their swings and both boys grew nearly four inches over the winter and into the summer.
These two started the year in the #1 doubles spot and put together a great season going 19-6 and earning the #8 seed for the State tournament. At State they began their run by defeating the Brownell-Talbot team 6-1, 6-3. While it was a decisive victory the duo played a little tight and had some struggles from the service line. Coach McNeely commented, “It was obvious they were nervous. They put alot of pressure on themselves going into this week.”
Next up was the #9 team of Hunter Ness and Jaxson Karn from Holdgrege. Once again Poggemeyer and Causgrove were playing tight except this time their struggles cost them the first set 3-6 and they were trailing 2-3 in the 2nd set when Coach McNeely pulled the boys aside for a word. Poggemeyer commented, “Coach McNeely just told to have fun, enjoy the great crowd, and make a memory.”
After this brief conversation, the two started making one great play after another forcing Holdredge into mistakes. They ended up winning the set 6-4 and built momentum into the 3rd set tiebreak.
After overcoming and tying the match at one set all, the two teams continued to battle in a back and forth tie break where neither team led by more than one point until the very end. The Pioneers put it away by breaking the Duster’s serve at 7-8 and then rolled off the next 3 points to win the set 10-8. The win cemented them into the medal round. Their goal had been met and the hard work proved worth it.

Regular Season Wrap Up

10/8/2021

The Pioneer tennis team ended their season last night with a 5-4 win at Lincoln Christian. This ends a successful regular seson for the Pioneers with 6-3 record in duals and a team that is tournament tested and ready for the State Tournament in Lincoln next Thursday and Friday. Coach McNeely commented “I had high expectations for this team but I think with some of the adversities with illness and injuries that we have gone through I believe we actually might be better off than I could have hoped.”
The win against Lincoln Christian tops off a fast and furious 7 days where both doubles teams placed 2nd at Beatrice Invite on Friday, the team won the Trailblazers Conference Tournament on Monday and then defeated a strong Brownell-Talbot team on Tuesday.
Throughout this run the Pioneers were led by their four horseman Caleb Poggemeyer (12), Connor Causgrove (11), Eli McNeely (12) and Anthony Robinson (11) who have really been grooving in doubles. The combination of Poggemeyer and Causgrove will go into State with a record of 19-5 while the duo of McNeely and Robinson have built a record of 11-3 since deciding to focus on doubles in the middle portion of the season. Both teams have an excellent chance of earning a high seed at state and with good luck and good play have a chance to make some noise in their respective divisions.
Participating at State for the Pioneers will be:
#1 Singles - Keno Schuldt
#2 Singles - Braydon Thornton
#1 Doubles - Caleb Poggemeyer & Connor Causgrove
#2 Doubles - Anthony Robinson & Eli McNeely

Junior Varsity Tournament Results

9/24/2021

The Pioneers hosted a Junior Varsity tournament on Wednesday, September 22, with Ralston, Beatrice, and Waverly. The tournament was played in beautiful weather with a crisp morning and warm afternoon. The Pioneers came away with two first place finishes and tremendous amount of invaluable experience.
   This was the first tournament for the young Pioneers where they were able to play multiple matches against high quality players. First year player, Lucas Nielson (11), went 2-1 on the day and won first place. He was able to defeat Beatrice (6-3) and Ralston (6-2) and narrowly lost (4-6) to Chase McInteer from Waverly. The deciding tiebreak factor was percentage of games won and Lucas came away with the medal.
   At #2 Singles Alex Pieters (10) was a last minute substitution when another player fell ill. Alex went 1-2 on the day beating Beatrice’s Seth Oltmans (6-4) but his most import achievement might have been getting to the courts within 10 minutes of getting the call that he was needed. Coach McNeely commented “All we had to do was find Alex and he would be chomping at the bit to play. He has really improved this year.”
   The #1 Doubles duo of Zach Ackerman (11) and Maverick Weniger (9) didn’t find a win on the day but played a fantastic match against the 1st place Beatrice team. Pushing the match to tiebreak before succumbing 5-7. Beatrice coach Karen Dittbrenner commented, “That’s definitely the 2nd best team here”. Coach Holmberg also commented how they really had it going and were moving well during that match. Sometimes it take awhile in doubles to find that chemistry and it can come and go quickly.
   The #2 Doubles team of freshman duo Trevor Tesarec and Cutler Adams had a great day going 3-0 with scores of 6-4 vs Wavery, 6-2 vs Beatrice, and 6-1 vs Ralston. Coach McNeely commented “These two were a good combination with Tesarec’s athleticism and Adams’ consistency at the net. Also they just seem to play well together.

Bounce Back Win vs. Elkhorn

9/15/2021

   The Pioneer tennis team bounced back on Tuesday with a big 5-4 victory over a very good Elkhorn High team. After losing 1-8 on Monday to Waverly the Pioneers needed a boost of confidence. The Pioneers limped into Tuesday nights match down two players with illness and Braydon Thornton still still out with his bad ankle.
   It didn’t start off well with the team losing the #1 doubles and the #3 doubles. Zach Ackerman and Lucas Nielson got their first varsity doubles competition and competed well but were just outmatched by Elkhorns #3 and #6 players. Coach McNeely said “They fought hard and I was proud of them for making a stand and winning those two games. I hope they learned a lot that they can take into their Junior Varsity matches.”
   The bright spot in doubles was the combination of Anthony Robinson and Thornton. They showed good chemistry considering this was their first time playing together this year. Robinson once again patrolled the baseline like a champ and returned everything they could muster. However, the real bright spot was the consistency Thornton showed at the net and with the serve. McNeely said, “You could tell that ankle was hurting him, but he was an absolute warrior. Not one complaint! He stayed within himself and did the little things magically. He may be the reason we won this dual.”
   The Pioneers went 4-2 in singles with a stellar match from Nathan Dia who has really started to play with more confidence and a strong forehand. After the match Dia jokingly commented, “Now if I can just learn to hit a backhand.” McNeely’s responded, “He is right, when he starts trying to get topspin on his backhand instead of that slice, he will really become quite a player.”
   Poggemeyer dominated his opponent 8-0 and then the match came down to the two Juniors to win the dual. Anthony Robinson battled a very good Scott Riddell at #1, and today he brought a new weapon with him. Robinson, for the first time put his slice backhand away and started unleashing a very powerful top-spin backhand. Coach Holmberg wondered “Where has that been all year?” Robinson rode the backhand and powerful serve to win 8-5. Robinson commented “It just felt good today.”
   With Robinson winning and pulling the dual score to 4-4 Connor Causgrove knew it was up to him to win his #2 singles. Causgrove started slowly, but he didn’t let frustration set in and stayed calm. He told McNeely during the match “I am just going to keep hitting it in and let him make mistakes.” It was a great strategy because he was the more athletic player on the court and was able to get to every one of his opponents good shots. Eventually he was able wear down Lawson Clevenger for the win 8-5.
   Coach McNeely does not try to hide intensity in these close matches. He commented, “These guys did great! They believe in themselves and I am so proud of the way they were able to overcome these little adversities.”

Lincoln Northeast Invite Results

8/30/2021

   The Pioneers played in the 14 team Lincoln Northeast / Lincoln High Invitational, which included high level teams of class A and class B. With heat indexes rising to near 100 degrees the team cut their teeth with great competition and difficult conditions. These first matches will go a long way in preparing for the season.
   The standout performance for the Pioneers came from the #1 doubles combination of Caleb Poggemeyer and Connor Causgrove. The pair combined for a 3-1 record while earning 5th place with their only loss coming to an outstanding Papillion-Lavista team. The Poggemeyer-Causgrove team defeated Class B Waverly 8-2 and York 9-7 and Class A Lincoln Northeast 8-2. They played an attacking style with powerful slams at the net by Causgrove and precision groundstrokes by Poggemeyer. They already have a great deal of chemistry for this early in the season.
   Anthony Robinson was able to pull out a win from Lincoln Northeast Carson Pierce after some tough losses against Jackson Schwanebeck (12) of Norfolk as well as Ben Boudreau (11) of Papillion-Lavista. Robinson’s first experience at #1 singles was a tough challenge but he competed well against the all Class A competition.
   Also earning a win against a Class A Fremont team was the #2 doubles of Eli McNeely and Nathan Dia. Dia was a game day substitution due to a freak ankle injury to Braydon Thornton during a volleyball game during their weight training class. It took Dia a little while to adjust to the speed but he and McNeely pulled it together in their second match by holding on to a two game lead as Fremont battled back and exchanged service wins. Thornton will be out at least a week so the Pioneers will have to shuffle the lineup for their three events this coming week.
   Monday the Pioneers will take on South Sioux City and Omaha Benson in a home triangular and then will go to Beatrice for a dual on Thursday and then the Lincoln Christian Invite on Friday.

Week 1 Tennis Report

8/24/2021

Pioneer Tennis has settled on a starting lineup going into their first week of action. Anthony Robinson will lead the team at #1 singles as they compete in a home triangular with Omaha Benson and South Sioux City on Thursday. On Friday, they go to Lincoln to compete in the Lincoln Northeast/Lincoln High invitational.
   This will be Robinson’s first time competing at #1 singles as he played mostly doubles and lower level singles last year. He commented that “I am a bit nervous going into the season but we have all gotten a lot better since last year”
Keno Schuldt (Foreign Exchange Student) will be playing #2 singles. Schuldt has played club tennis in Germany and is excited to compete in Nebraska. Schuldt earned the Varsity spot by competing well in a JV challenge ladder this past Saturday.
   Caleb Poggemeyer (12) and Junior Flamethrower Connor Causgrove begin their season in the #1 doubles spot. These two have put in a tremendous amount of work in the past year with the goal of getting over the hump at State and earning their way into the medal round.
   Completing the team at #2 doubles this week will be the Senior combination of Eli McNeely and Braydon Thornton. Both have grown 3-4 inches in the past year, which should help as they prowl the net like tigers stalking their prey.
   Coach McNeely commented that “The Pioneers are ready to go and this should be another great year.”

Pre Season Tennis

8/13/2021

The 2021 Pioneer tennis team returns 4 key players from the statistically best team in Pioneer history. Returning medal winners Anthony Robinson (11) and Eli McNeely (12) will join fellow State competitors Connor Causgrove (11) and Caleb Poggemeyer (12) to lead the Pioneers into a new season. All four players have put in a tremendous amount of work preparing for this season. Joining these leaders will be fellow seniors Braydon Thornton and Zach Ottemann.
The #1 goal for the pre-season will be finding the 5th & 6th men and then determining who will play singles and doubles moving forward. Vying for those two spots are Thornton, Zach Ackerman (11), Nathan Dia (10), and Lucas Nielson (11) who has caught on quickly since moving over from the cross country team. These four will be competing often in the next two weeks to answer these questions.
The summer was also exciting, we have several new guys who joined us during camps in May and then proceeded to put in hours of work this summer in small group lessons. Seven freshmen led by Cutler Adams and Gavin Koberstein will surely make an impact on the Junior Varsity team this year, however they will be pushed by their classmates Rush Chipman, Connor Engle, Dane Sjulin, Trevor Tesarek, and Maverick Weninger. This group has real potential for success in the next couple of years.
The team has been practicing with 18 guys during the first week, but the roster could grow between 5-10 members could be joining after the start of school when several return from vacations and more students learn about the opportunities the Nebraska City tennis team has to offer.