MONROE — The Cheesemakers struggled as a team last spring, going 0-9 in dual matches. However, the team’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Charlie Frehner and Aaron Roidt meshed well and found themselves playing in the state tournament.
For Roidt, his quick ascension in 2021 has turned some heads at the next level, and he’s getting interest from some colleges about continuing to play after high school.
“That is really neat, especially since last year was his first full year as a tennis player at Monroe,” Bordner said.
While both of those players were juniors in 2021, only one (Roidt) is back. Frehner has since transferred schools.
“That is a big loss for our team as he was part of our No. 1 doubles team,” said Matt Bordner, Monroe’s coach.
Roidt isn’t the lone Cheesemaker returning this year, however. Sophomore Ryan Mathiason played the No. 1 and No. 2 singles role during the end of 2021. Also back are seniors Chris Giasson, Ethan Towne and Tim Olson, as well as juniors Gavin Eckerman and Mitch Ferguson, and junior Wes Saunders.
“They all saw varsity action last year and figure to be in the mix for varsity spots in the lineup again,” Bordner said. “Chris Giasson has made a big jump from last year — he played a lot this summer and has really taken an interest in wanting to have a leadership role on the team, which is great. He figures to be in the mix for one of the top spots on the team.”
Freshman Matthew Setterstrom joins the varsity roster, and Bordner is excited for his potential.
“He joins our team as one of the most refined freshman we’ve had in the program in terms of skills and technique. I think he probably fits in as our No. 1 singles player right away which is really exciting for him to be able to grow as one of our top players for the next four years,” Bordner said.
There are also several JV players from a year ago that will vie for varsity slots, as well as some other newcomers to the roster.
“They will have opportunities to battle for varsity spots and so it should be really competitive and fun to see how our lineup shapes out,” Bordner said.
Bordner said he expects this year’s team to go through some lumps, but to consistently compete in practice and on match days — all while improving a little bit more each week.
“I think our areas of improvement will be in our serves and just working through strategies to set points up for ourselves. Last year, many of our players were new to tennis and just learning technique. I think this year it will be important to keep focusing on our skills that need improving (serving, especially) while also working more on the mental and strategic part of tennis as well,” he said.
Overall, Bordner thinks his 2022 squad is already a full step ahead of the 2021 lineup.
“I think this team is much better than last year and has dedicated much more offseason time to getting better which is neat,” he said. “I think our experience is a big strength as well as desire to win. We should have a really experienced lineup this season and can work on more advanced skills which is exciting. There are also quite a few kids who have worked hard in the offseason and I think you’ll see that pay dividends for them during this season.”
Roidt will stick to No. 1 doubles, with a partner yet to be determined.
“It will be fun to see who rises to the challenge to earn the other No. 1 doubles slot, but I think we have a few different players who could play with Aaron and have success. Aaron has a really high tennis ceiling too which is exciting. He was a dominant player last year at the end of the season, especially at the net. I think if we keep working on his serve and baseline play, we could really see him blossom even further,” Bordner said.
In the conference mix, Monroe was unable to shred defending champion Edgewood, and Bordner expects the Crusaders to once again be at the top of the food chain.
“Oregon had a solid team last year as well and I’d expect them to be good again. It will be fun to see some different schools with the realignment and start getting a feel for how everything stacks up,” Bordner said.
