Wendle Family Dominates Riverbend Open Mixed Doubles Night

Opening night featured champions in five of seven flights, with local standouts and visiting teams creating a deep field across multiple age groups.

Dan Brannan, Content Director

Jun 25, 2026 4:44 PM

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ALTON - The Wendle family set the tone Wednesday night, June 24, 2026, at the Riverbend Open Mixed Doubles Tournament. Thomas Wendle and his sister, Maria Lis-Planells, went undefeated to win the Mixed Open Division at Alton High.

Peter Wendle and his sister, Jayne Wendle, finished second based on criteria, followed by Monica Wendle and Michael Lis-Planells in third and Jesse and Hannah Macias in fourth.

Tournament director Jesse Macias said the family depth helped elevate the event.

“It was a fun division. The Wendle’s are a really competitive family and they also had great careers at Marquette. We had all five of them competing tonight, along with Maria’s husband, and they raised the level of the open division. After Thomas and Maria, the other teams all finished with 1-2 records, which was fantastic because it shows how close the competition was. But, congrats to Thomas and Maria on playing big all night. Thomas was an all-state player at Marquette and he played like it tonight.”

Marquette also swept the top three spots in the high school mixed division.

Junior Ryan Joehl teamed with Sarah Moehn to go 4-0 and finish first. Teammates Hubert Allen and Mia Lopez placed second at 2-1, while Explorers Logan Anderson and Izzi Hough took third with a 2-2 record. Alton players Carter Hanebutt and Lydia Schrumpf finished fourth, ahead of teammates Griffin Clark and Vail Schwaab.

Macias said splitting the mixed competition into two divisions worked well.

“We usually play just one mixed division and adults play with the under 18 players. But we had enough teams for two divisions and it seemed to work out well. Mixed is tough for younger players because there is so much communication needed in doubles. But all the teams communicated well and there was a lot of great doubles in the high school division. Like the open, all of the matches were close and they had a lot of fun on the courts. Ryan was able to take over at times and Sarah was steady all night, that was the difference.”

The mixed doubles results followed what Macias described as a strong start to the Riverbend Open, which drew about 50 players overall and featured championship matches in five of seven flights on the opening night.

“We had a really good turnout this year. We have about 50 players overall. Most of the players were local, which I love, and we had players from Jacksonville, Civic Memorial, Lindbergh High School, and other places. There was a wide variety of talent,” Macias said.

In the men’s final, Alex Boker and Kyle Feder defeated Alton High alum Christian Freeman and Alex Raymond. It was the fifth straight year Boker reached the finals and his first title.

“You talk about persistence and determination. Boker has been a great supporter of our tournament, and we really appreciate it. He is a former coach and player at Granite City, and I remember him as a high school player. The championship match was just really good tennis and I’m glad all the high school players got to see that high level of play. Kyle played at Belleville East, and he and Alex still play high-level USTA tournaments and leagues. Alex and Christian did well to keep the match competitive,” Macias said.

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Marquette alum Stetson Isringhausen and Nathan Joehl defeated former Explorers Bradley Bower and Thomas Wendle in the third-place match. James and Victor Humphrey won the consolation bracket.

“The men’s open was by far our most competitive division and every match had good drama. We had six really good players from Marquette who love to compete, including current players Hubert Allen and Ryan Joehl, and they all play great doubles. Carter Hanebutt still plays at Alton High and he teamed with one of the best players we ever had, Parker Mayhew and they looked good. James and Victor Humphrey won the consolation bracket; that is how good the teams were in the men’s open,” Macias said.

In the girls 18-and-under division, Abby White and Leah Range of Jacksonville finished first by beating Alton High’s McKenna Dondanville and Lydia Schrumpf. Maddie Henkhaus and Laila Kiger of Alton placed third, followed by Marquette’s Izzi Hough and Mia Lopez.

“We have seen a lot of Jacksonville lately and they always play tough. We play them home and away in the summer and they participate in our Andy Simpson tournament. It’s a nice rivalry and we really appreciate them coming down. Leah and Abby got stronger as the tournament went on. McKenna and Lydia pushed them early in the match, but the Jacksonville girls took over at the end,” Macias said.

Macias also praised the Alton and Marquette players in the division.

“I was proud of the effort of McKenna, Lydia, Laila, and Maddie. They are all going to be seniors this year and they are all team leaders. We need them out in the summer showing the other players what it takes to prepare for the season. The Marquette players also had a nice tournament.”

In the 16-and-under division, Ellie Hanebutt and Genna Roark finished first, followed by Kylie Steinkuehler and Lyla Cowan.

“Those four girls are all going to be juniors and we are going to need them to help out varsity this year. Genna had a great start last year as a sophomore and Ellie has been coming on strong lately,” Macias said.

In the boys 18-and-under division, Nicholas Kaade and Anderson Shaver of Lindbergh High School defeated Connor Cochran and Erick Humphrey of Alton High 8-6 in the finals. Cam Middleton and Tristan Basset of Civic Memorial finished third, and Tyson Nguyen and John Pryor of Alton were fourth.

“The boys 18’s were also fun to watch. All the teams had some dynamic players. The championship match was back and forth, and both teams had their moments. Nicholas and Anderson were steadier and executed well under pressure; they deserved to win in the finals,” Macias said.

In the boys 15-and-under division, Parker Hough and William Waters of Marquette won the round robin, defeating Alton freshmen Kaleb Doering and Stuart Clark for the title. Isaac Macias and Benny Caughran finished third.

“The Marquette team was clearly the best team today. Both of their players had good experience last year as freshmen and it showed. We had eight incoming freshmen (four boys and four girls) and this was their first tournament. They got a good experience and I think the guys could see that there is a lot of strategy in doubles,” Macias said.

In the girls 15-and-under division, incoming Alton freshmen Layla Hippen and Erin Crawford defeated Penny Elfrink and Sasha Steinheimer, also of Alton, for the championship.

“They were the last match on and it was a long day, but they were still having fun. It was a joy to watch,” Macias said.

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