MONROE — Doubles partners Chris Giasson and Aaron Roidt went to state last year, and head coach Matt Bordner is confident his team will send more participants in 2023.
“I’m very optimistic for our team this season,” Bordner said. “We had our strongest season last year in my career as a coach. This year’s team is more talented than last year and has a high ceiling. This year my goal is to get more than one entry into the state tournament.”
Senior Max Petitjean and junior Wes Saunders highlight the list of returners as captains this year. Both are drawing collegiate interest.
“Wes and Max are our captains this year,” Bordner said. “They’ve put in a ton of offseason work and are great leaders for our program, so I look for them to make a jump.”
Saunders played No. 2 doubles with 2022 graduate Ethan Towne last year, while Petitjean played No. 4 singles.
Sophomore Matthew Setterstrom will lead the Cheesemakers at the No. 1 singles spot. He had an impressive freshman year, and Bordner believes last year’s varsity experience will go a long way this season.
“Matthew comes back after a nice freshman year at No. 1 singles and will be a huge cog in our singles lineup,” Bordner said. “He has improved tremendously from last year, and I think just having that first year under his belt and gaining that confidence will be big for him this year.”
Seniors Gavin Eckerman and Mitchell Ferguson, along with junior Ryan Mathiason, round out the remaining returners. The combination of Saunders, Petitjean, Setterstrom, Eckerman, Ferguson and Mathiason give Bordner confidence.
“Our strengths are going to be the top end of our lineup,” Bordner said. “[They] all come back as strong varsity players and definitely will be even better this season.”
While the top half of his lineup is set, Bordner has some pieces to mix and match in the lower half. These players include incoming freshman Carsen Bartholf and newcomers Louis Armstrong and Brandon Bassett, both juniors.
“I think our biggest challenge will be figuring out how to fill in the bottom part of our lineup,” Bordner said. “I feel really good about our top nine players, but seeing who will fit into the No. 10 spot on our varsity roster — and those No. 11-14 spots that will add extra competition — will definitely be our area of focus to build a complete team.”
Bordner should have no problem finding capable players for those roles, as more than 32 players are in the program. These numbers will provide competition to all players and make sure they aren’t comfortable in their spot — they will have to work for it.
“Players earn their spots on this team,” Bordner said. “We have more players this year playing at a really high level than ever before, so this should create a bunch of opportunities in practice for all of our players to compete against each other and improve by playing great players.”
With a stacked lineup and more intersquad competition, Bordner has his sights set at the top spot in the Badger Conference. Last year, the Cheesemakers took third with Oregon and Edgewood taking the top two spots.
“I fully expect us to be a top team this year as well as Oregon and Edgewood,” Bordner said. “Oregon is incredibly deep every year and talented, so they will be a tough challenge. Edgewood also brings back some strong players and will be a fun matchup for us as well.”
