MONROE — The Cheesemakers won their first conference tennis match of the season May 13 with a 5-2 win over Fort Atkinson. Monroe then lost 5-2 in a nonconference match against Big Foot the next day.

“This was a much-needed conference victory for our team,” coach Matt Bordner said. “We have been close in a lot of these recent matches, and so to break-through tonight with a number of close individual victories felt great.”

At the top of the lineup, the Cheesemakers got wins at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles against Fort Atkinson. Bo Bahler came from behind to defeat Nash Christian 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 1 singles match. In the second flight, Chris Andraski fended off Jordan Jensen 6-4, 6-1. 

“Bo and Chris came up big tonight for us. They’ve both been in a bit of a slump, and so to see both play well tonight was exciting,” Bordner said. “Bo came out flat in his first set but brought a lot of energy in his next two sets and became more aggressive. Chris was aggressive from the start, and ultimately both he and Bo started to win big points at the net which really started to build them a lot of momentum.”

Charlie Frehner, playing up a level at No. 3 singles, pulled out a tight 6-4, 7-5 win over Logan Hamele.

“We were missing Gabe Moon, so Charlie Frehner bumped up to three-singles and settled in just fine. His opponent hit mostly slices, and so it was a challenge for Charlie to deal with something that was different than what he would normally see at four-singles,” Bordner said. “Charlie again found a way to win another close match though which is something he seems to have a knack for.”

Tim Beckman lost the No. 4 singles match 6-2, 6-2. 

In doubles, Monroe’s No. 1 tandem of Evan Thompson and Luke Quinn suffered a 6-4, 6-3 loss, but the twos and threes each scored wins to give Monroe the dual victory.

“Our doubles teams all played well today. At 1 doubles, Evan and Luke jumped out to a 4-1 lead. They lost momentum from there as their opponents hit high looping lobs that we struggled to handle,” Bordner said.

At No. 2 doubles, Jon Callaway and Heath Bear rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win. 

“Jon and Heath continued their hot steak as they are undefeated in their last four matches. They are communicating well and their court movement is great and shot selections continue to improve,” Bordner said. 

Wade Sweeney and Luis Torres won a nail-biter 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the No. 3 doubles match.

“Wade and Luis pulled out an extremely tight match at three-doubles. To win both sets with scores that close is certainly exciting, but they also could have made life easier by limiting their errors,” Bordner said. “These two have a lot of potential but need to just find their consistent strokes during these last few matches.”

In the 5-2 loss to Big Foot, Monroe’s two victories came in the singles. Bahler won the top flight 6-3, 6-3, while Frehner scored a win at No. 4 singles, 7-5, 6-0.

“Bo Bahler had another solid match while playing out controlled points and taking aggressive shots when the opportunities arose. I’m proud of the way he has bounced back after a rough stretch during the heart of our season,” Bordner said. “Charlie Frehner showed more grit. He was down 4-5 in the first set and then won the next three games to take the set 7-5. For a freshman to have that type of composure is really incredible to see. He’s pulled through in so many close matches this year and that will only help his confidence.”

Andraski lost the No. 2 singles match to Eman Carreno in a tiebreaker 4-6, 7-6 (4), 11-9.

Moon fell 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles. Quinn and Thompson lost 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 doubles, while Bear and Callaway lost in a tiebreaker 6-2, 5-7, 10-7. At No. 3 doubles, Torres and Sweeney lost 6-1, 6-3.

“After a big win (May 13) with multiple close matches, we came out and had a bunch more close matches. Chris at two-singles and Heath and Jon at two-doubles both lost in third set tiebreakers, which was heartbreaking,” Bordner said. “Both of those matches provided good learning moments for our guys and hopefully we can use that to our advantage moving forward.”

Monroe now sets its focus on the postseason. The Badger Conference tournament is taking place May 17-18 at the UW Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison. The following week the Cheesemakers will play in the WIAA Subsectionals.

“I’m excited to see if any of our guys can pull off some upsets and make some noise in these tournaments for our team,” Bordner said.