ROCHELLE — Mark Green became a varsity contributor for the Rochelle Hub tennis team at the beginning of his freshman season, when he earned a starting role in doubles. After two years of primarily playing doubles tennis, Green has ascended to the team’s top singles slot, where the junior showcased his skills during Rochelle’s match against Dixon on Wednesday.

One day removed from leading the Hubs in their Interstate 8 Conference match with Ottawa, where Green emerged victorious in both singles and doubles, Green took the court for the No. 1 singles match against Dixon’s Jayvian Herwig, who the talented junior fended off in the opening set before cruising in the second set for a 7-5, 6-2 win. It was one of four victories for the Hubs, who ended a four-match losing streak with a 4-1 triumph over the Dukes in nonconference play.

“It was a really good win for us to build our confidence,” Green said. “I think we can build off that for the remainder of the season. It’s been a good experience to switch things up and singles is a totally different game. I feel like it’s made me a better player because it’s only me and I’m not worrying about a partner. Whenever I lose a point, it’s always on me and I can’t blame anyone else. It’s definitely helped me improve my groundstrokes since there’s a lot of back and forth.”

Rochelle (4-8, 1-4 Interstate 8) swept the singles matches on Wednesday, with Green taking the No. 1 contest while junior Philip Winters dominated the No. 2 contest against Landon Arbuckle, winning both sets without dropping a single game to earn a 6-0, 6-0 victory. In doubles play, the Hubs took two of the three points, with freshman David Eckardt and sophomore Noah McKinney staying strong during a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jack McGrail and Will Lindenmeyer at the No. 2 slot.

Junior Parker Slattengren and sophomore Connor Hunley were the toughest duo of the meet, as the two Hub netters coasted for a 6-1, 6-2 win against Joshua Stees and Quinn Flanagan at the No. 3 court. The return of Hunley, who played varsity matches as a freshman but missed time to an ankle injury earlier this season, has helped the Hubs round out their doubles lineup.

“It was a very big win because we had been losing quite a bit before, but now it feels like we have a fresh start and we’re coming back strong,” Hunley said. “It feels great to be back and playing tennis again. I think my movement on the court has improved because last year, I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I’m much more confident now. We’re feeling very confident.”

Junior Caleb Mortensen and sophomore Sam Sergeant represented Rochelle in the No. 1 doubles match, playing a tight first set but falling short in a 4-6, 2-6 loss against Samuel Gingras and Derek Miller. The Hubs will be back in action with the Interstate 8 Conference Fresh-Soph Championships at LaSalle-Peru on Saturday as well as a road match at Mendota on Monday.