WHITEWATER — Wes Saunders and Ryan Mathiason, No. 1 doubles partners for Monroe, earned a Rock Valley championship in the league tournament on May 16. The pair entered the event as the 1-seed and lived up to expectations, defeating their three opponents in straight sets.
“Wes and Ryan took first place and played phenomenal tennis all day,” Monroe head coach Matt Bordner said. “They did a great job of just riding out the waves of energy that the other doubles teams brought. Their strength is their resiliency, and they let that shine today.”
The duo earned six of Monroe’s 21 points in the RVC tournament. Points are dolled out based on individual finish — First: 6 points; Second: 4 points; Third: 2 points, Fifth: 1.5 points; Sixth: 1 point; Seventh and Eighth: 0 points — but added up as a team.
Overall, Monroe finished second behind East Troy, which had 23 points. The Trojans also won the regular season, going 7-0 in duals.
No. 1 singles Matthew Setterstrom received the 2-seed but was still recovering from a back injury, taking fourth.
All other players met their seeds, but the surprise of the day was No. 3 doubles Caden Montgomery and Eli Salzwedel. The duo entered the tournament as the 5-seed and finished third.
“Caden and Eli outperformed their seed and took third place,” Bordner said. “They played three super tiebreakers today, which was unbelievable. I’m proud of how they’ve stuck together and are playing good tennis at the end of the season.”
Rock Valley Conference
No. 1 singles (2-seed) Matthew Setterstrom, 4th Place
Quarterfinal win over (7) Ty Hillson, Delavan-Darien, 6-0, 6-3
Semifinal loss to (3) Patrick Traver, Jefferson, 0-6, 7-6(5), 10-8
Third-place loss to (5) Will Olson, Watertown Luther Prep, 2-0, 2-0
No. 2 singles (7-seed) Louis Armstrong, Undetermined
Quarterfinal loss to (2) Owen Tahiri, Delavan-Darien, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9
Consolation win over (3) Aidan Turner, Jefferson, 5-7, 6-4, 10-8
Fifth-place match not played due to time constraints
No. 3 singles (3-seed) Carsen Bartholf, 2nd Place
Quarterfinal win over (6) Silas Hillmer, Watertown Luther Prep, 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal win over (2) Andrew Gonzalez, Edgerton, 6-0, 6-1
Championship loss to (1) Noah Edwards, East Troy, 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 singles (3-seed) Brandon Bassett, 3rd Place
Quarterfinal win over (6) Chris Cortes, Whitewater, 6-1, 6-2
Semifinal loss to (2) Adam Schrieber, East Troy, 6-0, 6-1
Third-place win over (4) Eddie Medina, Jefferson, 6-0, 6-0
No. 1 doubles (1-seed) Ryan Mathiason and Wes Saunders, 1st Place
Quarterfinal win over (8) Adrian Weber and Devan Redenius, Jefferson, 6-1, 6-0
Semifinal win over (4) Xander Wrobel and Abraham Schlomer, WLP, 6-3, 6-2
Championship win over (2) Adam Nelson and Jonah Martin, Edgerton, 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 doubles (4-seed) Alex Gerrits and Hamilton Stites, 4th Place
Quarterfinal win over (5) Nick Wilson and Sebastian Cuellar, Whitewater, 6-1, 6-1
Semifinal loss to (1) Isaiah Scharf and Noah Koelpin, Watertown Luther Prep, 6-3, 6-3
Third-place loss to (2) Isaac Zielke and Thiago Orue, Edgerton, 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 doubles (5-seed) Caden Montgomery and Eli Salzwedel, 3rd Place
Quarterfinal win over (4) Evan Aleson and Seth Precourt, Edgerton, 5-7, 6-4, 10-8
Semifinal loss to (1) Drew Chapman and Bryce Bailey, East Troy, 6-0, 4-6, 10-5
Third-place win over (3) Hugo Portales and Emmanuel Mbifi, Whitewater, 6-2, 1-6, 10-7
