The competition was held at the APlex instead of the high school courts because of rain.

In singles, Alpena players pushed through some tough battles. At No. 1 singles, Will Meinhardt fought hard against Liam Washington before falling 6-1, 6-2. Nathan Pokorzynski had one of the closest matches of the day at No. 2 singles, taking the first set 7-5 before Petoskey’s Brian Tang rallied to win 6-2 in the second set and claim the match. Dillon Gagnon also kept things tight at No. 3 singles but was edged out 6-4, 7-5 in another competitive contest. At No. 4 singles, Zack Cloft forced a third-set tiebreak after taking the second set 6-2, before coming up short 10-2.

The doubles courts belonged to Petoskey, though Alpena’s pairs continued to fight point by point. Austin DeRosia and Oliver McConnell fell at No. 1 doubles, while Liam Kieliszewski and Sam Hainstock (No. 2 doubles), Jack Caplis and Jackson Wallace (No. 3 doubles), and Jonah Gagnon with Lachlan Knowlton (No. 4 doubles) all faced strong Northmen duos.

While the final score tilted heavily in Petoskey’s favor, the Wildcats left with positives. Pokorzynski’s opening set win, Gagnon’s near push to a third set, and Cloft’s strong response in his second set all showed Alpena’s ability to challenge a top opponent.

News Photo by Leslianne Johns Alpena's Dillon Gagnon prepares to return the ball on Wednesday in a home match against Petoskey.

The Wildcats will look to rebound quickly as they travel to Cadillac today for a 4 p.m. matchup.