MONROE — The Cheesemakers improved to 3-0 on the season with a 6-1 conference win over Fort Atkinson/Cambridge on Feb. 12.
“Fort only had nine players total, so they defaulted the No. 3 doubles match. We were short Ryan Mathiason (No. 2 singles) due to sickness, so we did some rearranging and I was happy with how the guys battled in an extremely windy environment,” said Monroe coach Matt Bordner. “Our attitudes were great and again I liked the energy and focus from the guys. It’s really nice having an experienced team filled with guys who can play singles or doubles and find ways to compete.”
Monroe’s lone loss came at No. 1 singles, where freshman Matthew Setterstrom was topped in a tiebreaker, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.
“Matthew Setterstrom continues to impress as a freshman playing against every team’s best player,” Bordner said. “He dropped a close first set, but showed a lot of mental toughness in coming back and winning the second set pretty handily. He dropped the match tiebreaker but I again think his confidence is there and just gaining this experience in close matches is so good for him at a young age. He clearly belongs at No. 1 singles.”
Gavin Eckerman won at No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-2. At No. 3 singles, Wes Saunders walked off the court with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep. Max Petitjean won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
“Our 2-4 singles played really well for us. Gavin and Wes each moved up, and we switch Max over to 4-singles to fill out the lineup. Their control and consistency won them their matches. Gavin played his best match of the year and Wes continues to improve at a rapid pace. This singles lineup is hungry to get better and are super coachable. It’s been a blast working with them,” Bordner said.
Monroe’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Aaron Roidt and Chris Giasson rolled 6-0, 6-1. At No. 2 doubles, Ethan Towne and Dante Giordano swept Fort Atkinson 6-0, 6-0.
Up next for the Cheesemakers is the annual varsity doubles tournament in Monroe on April 16.
“Our doubles teams again took care of business and are gearing up for our doubles tournament this Saturday in Monroe. The chemistry has looked good so far, but it’ll be interesting to see how our doubles teams respond when the competition starts to get a bit stiffer. We certainly have a lot to work on as we move forward, but overall we’re off to a great start and enjoying the start to this season,” Bordner said.
