MONROE - Taylor Soddy believed the Monroe boys tennis team had a chance to win the Monroe doubles Invite Saturday, May 11.
"I thought we had a chance to win it as a team," Soddy said. "Playing doubles helps your net game a lot because you get a lot more volleys. It always helps when you go to play singles because your volleys are more crisp."
The Cheesemakers had three doubles teams reach the finals and crowned champions at No. 1A doubles and No. 3 doubles en route to slipping by Sauk Prairie 20-18 for the team championship. The Cheesemakers No. 1A doubles team of Soddy and sophomore Kevin Noriega as well as the No. 3 doubles team of Vince Wartenweiler and Jared Nix each won titles. Monroe senior Jess Hager missed the doubles invite due to family reasons, but Monroe coach Brad Saugstad likes the depth and confidence the Cheesemakers are playing with down the stretch.
"It says a lot about the depth of our team that we could win this tournament with half of our one doubles team out, and a few different guys stepping up positions," Saugstad said. "No matter what the format of the tournament, to be successful you have to get wins out of every position and every single one of our doubles teams stepped up and helped us bring home the championship."
The Cheesemakers' No. 2 doubles team of Josh Riese and Mark Jenson went 2-1 in the tournament and took second. Monroe senior Kevin Kohlstedt, who was playing with his fifth different partner at No. 1 doubles this year, teamed with sophomore Matt Monahan to take fourth place. At No. 4 doubles, Jeremy Miller and Austin Lewey went 1-2 and took fourth place.
Soddy and Noriega went 3-0 in the invite and cruised to the title. The Cheesemakers' top two singles players at No. 1A doubles defeated Baraboo's Zoryg and Kusyk and Eli Andrew 6-2 6-0. In the semifinals, they defeated McFarland's Tim Vallon and Joey Kopp 6-0, 6-2. Soddy and Noriega in the championship match beat Fort Atkinson's Andrew Dahl and Owen Kirkeby 7-5 6-3.
"Kevin came to play," Soddy said. "I'm more of a consistency player and Kevin is more of a power player."
"The 1A flight is meant for No. 1 and 2 singles players, and a lot of those guys prefer to hit from the baseline," Saugstad said. "Taylor and Kevin weren't content sitting at the baseline, but instead they took over the net like a good doubles team does. I hope these guys can take the momentum they built today and carry it over into singles for the rest of the season."
Wartenweiler and Nix lost a match to Baraboo 3-6, 7-5 and dropped the tiebreaker 11-9. The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles duo rebounded to beat McFarland's Marshall Ziegler's led team 6-4, 6-3. In the championship match, Wartenweiler and Nix defeated Sauk Prairie's Angus Mossman and Ben Kraus 6-1, 6-4.
"This was a round robin tournament and because of a three-way tie, Vince and Jared got to play in the championship match and got the win that won the tournament for the team," Saugstad said.
Riese and Jenson at No. 2 doubles defeated McFarland's Logan Meinert-Draws and Jake Siessenopp 6-2, 6-1. The duo then beat Baraboo's Brett McCutchin and Joe Bruni 6-2, 6-4. Stoughton's Tanner Kahl and Elijah Thunell defeated Riese and Jenson in the title match 6-0, 6-1. Kahl and Thunell are the Vikings' top two singles players who will play No. 2 doubles at the subsectional.
"They came out and played some solid tennis in the first two matches," Saugstad said. "These two just understand where to put their shots and how to put the ball away in doubles. They're an exciting team to watch."
At No. 1 doubles, the lone win for Kohlstedt and Monahan came against McFarland's Adam Cook and Sam Divita 6-4, 5-7. Kohlstedt and Monahan won six of the first nine points to reel off a 10-4 win in the tiebreaker.
For Miller and Lewey, the lone win came against McFarland 6-1, 6-4. The Cheesemakers' No. 4 doubles team won the second set against Stoughton's Nathan Lawlor and Breckin Houser 6-3 to force a tiebreaker, which they lost, 10-8.
Kohlstedt and Monahan trailed 4-1 in the second set before winning four straight games to take a 5-4 lead over Cook and Divita before the Spartans pulled out the second set and forced a tiebreaker the Cheesemakers dominated.
"My serve wasn't where I wanted it to be," Monahan said of the second set. "We struggled a little bit."
Kohlstedt wasn't rattled by playing with his fifth partner this season.
"I think Matt is a good tennis player," he said of Monahan who usually plays No. 3 singles. "I thought whoever I played with today, we would have a chance to compete."
Monroe wraps up the regular season at Milton today. The Cheesemakers then gear up for the Badger Conference tournament Friday, May 17.
"We have big hopes for the end of the season, but we can't look ahead to the conference tournament and sectionals until after we finish up our conference dual season," Saugstad said.
"I thought we had a chance to win it as a team," Soddy said. "Playing doubles helps your net game a lot because you get a lot more volleys. It always helps when you go to play singles because your volleys are more crisp."
The Cheesemakers had three doubles teams reach the finals and crowned champions at No. 1A doubles and No. 3 doubles en route to slipping by Sauk Prairie 20-18 for the team championship. The Cheesemakers No. 1A doubles team of Soddy and sophomore Kevin Noriega as well as the No. 3 doubles team of Vince Wartenweiler and Jared Nix each won titles. Monroe senior Jess Hager missed the doubles invite due to family reasons, but Monroe coach Brad Saugstad likes the depth and confidence the Cheesemakers are playing with down the stretch.
"It says a lot about the depth of our team that we could win this tournament with half of our one doubles team out, and a few different guys stepping up positions," Saugstad said. "No matter what the format of the tournament, to be successful you have to get wins out of every position and every single one of our doubles teams stepped up and helped us bring home the championship."
The Cheesemakers' No. 2 doubles team of Josh Riese and Mark Jenson went 2-1 in the tournament and took second. Monroe senior Kevin Kohlstedt, who was playing with his fifth different partner at No. 1 doubles this year, teamed with sophomore Matt Monahan to take fourth place. At No. 4 doubles, Jeremy Miller and Austin Lewey went 1-2 and took fourth place.
Soddy and Noriega went 3-0 in the invite and cruised to the title. The Cheesemakers' top two singles players at No. 1A doubles defeated Baraboo's Zoryg and Kusyk and Eli Andrew 6-2 6-0. In the semifinals, they defeated McFarland's Tim Vallon and Joey Kopp 6-0, 6-2. Soddy and Noriega in the championship match beat Fort Atkinson's Andrew Dahl and Owen Kirkeby 7-5 6-3.
"Kevin came to play," Soddy said. "I'm more of a consistency player and Kevin is more of a power player."
"The 1A flight is meant for No. 1 and 2 singles players, and a lot of those guys prefer to hit from the baseline," Saugstad said. "Taylor and Kevin weren't content sitting at the baseline, but instead they took over the net like a good doubles team does. I hope these guys can take the momentum they built today and carry it over into singles for the rest of the season."
Wartenweiler and Nix lost a match to Baraboo 3-6, 7-5 and dropped the tiebreaker 11-9. The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles duo rebounded to beat McFarland's Marshall Ziegler's led team 6-4, 6-3. In the championship match, Wartenweiler and Nix defeated Sauk Prairie's Angus Mossman and Ben Kraus 6-1, 6-4.
"This was a round robin tournament and because of a three-way tie, Vince and Jared got to play in the championship match and got the win that won the tournament for the team," Saugstad said.
Riese and Jenson at No. 2 doubles defeated McFarland's Logan Meinert-Draws and Jake Siessenopp 6-2, 6-1. The duo then beat Baraboo's Brett McCutchin and Joe Bruni 6-2, 6-4. Stoughton's Tanner Kahl and Elijah Thunell defeated Riese and Jenson in the title match 6-0, 6-1. Kahl and Thunell are the Vikings' top two singles players who will play No. 2 doubles at the subsectional.
"They came out and played some solid tennis in the first two matches," Saugstad said. "These two just understand where to put their shots and how to put the ball away in doubles. They're an exciting team to watch."
At No. 1 doubles, the lone win for Kohlstedt and Monahan came against McFarland's Adam Cook and Sam Divita 6-4, 5-7. Kohlstedt and Monahan won six of the first nine points to reel off a 10-4 win in the tiebreaker.
For Miller and Lewey, the lone win came against McFarland 6-1, 6-4. The Cheesemakers' No. 4 doubles team won the second set against Stoughton's Nathan Lawlor and Breckin Houser 6-3 to force a tiebreaker, which they lost, 10-8.
Kohlstedt and Monahan trailed 4-1 in the second set before winning four straight games to take a 5-4 lead over Cook and Divita before the Spartans pulled out the second set and forced a tiebreaker the Cheesemakers dominated.
"My serve wasn't where I wanted it to be," Monahan said of the second set. "We struggled a little bit."
Kohlstedt wasn't rattled by playing with his fifth partner this season.
"I think Matt is a good tennis player," he said of Monahan who usually plays No. 3 singles. "I thought whoever I played with today, we would have a chance to compete."
Monroe wraps up the regular season at Milton today. The Cheesemakers then gear up for the Badger Conference tournament Friday, May 17.
"We have big hopes for the end of the season, but we can't look ahead to the conference tournament and sectionals until after we finish up our conference dual season," Saugstad said.
