MADISON - Falling behind early in a match isn't anything new to the Monroe doubles tennis team of Mark Jenson and Kevin Noriega. In fact, the duo has come accustomed to battling adversity and climbing back, as the pair advanced to second round of the state meet with a three-set victory over Altoona's Alex Weber and Matt Berry Thursday. The win gives Jenson and Noriega a 7-1 record in tie-breaker matches.
Jenson and Noriega started off the match by getting an early 5-4 lead over Altoona, only to see their lead disappear as Weber and Berry came back to win 7-5 after the Monroe duo made a couple of mistakes.
"We started off okay," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "After we got up, we kind of had those three games where we missed a couple of shots, and they (Altoona) came back."
After dropping the first set, Jenson and Noriega started the second set with a bang by climbing out to an early 3-0 lead. Although Altoona captured two games, the Cheesemakers duo took the second set with ease, winning 6-2 to force a third set.
"Mark and Kevin came out right away," Saugstad said of the second set. "They played a couple of loose games, (and) they got out of the funk."
Trailing early in the tiebreaker, Jenson and Noriega did what they have grown accustomed to, and that's battle back. Down 2-1, the Monroe tandem rallied off eight straight points to come back and take the third set 10-4, advancing them to the second round.
"Both Mark and Kevin have done an extremely good job when playing from behind throughout the entire season," Saugstad said. "They've gone through stretches where they haven't necessarily played their best, (but) they somehow find a way to get out of their funk no matter what the situation is, and tonight they kept their composure... They earned it tonight."
Jenson and Noriega will face Dominican's third-seeded tandem of Danny Uhen and Frank Wong today at noon at UW-Madison's Nielsen Stadium.
Jenson and Noriega started off the match by getting an early 5-4 lead over Altoona, only to see their lead disappear as Weber and Berry came back to win 7-5 after the Monroe duo made a couple of mistakes.
"We started off okay," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "After we got up, we kind of had those three games where we missed a couple of shots, and they (Altoona) came back."
After dropping the first set, Jenson and Noriega started the second set with a bang by climbing out to an early 3-0 lead. Although Altoona captured two games, the Cheesemakers duo took the second set with ease, winning 6-2 to force a third set.
"Mark and Kevin came out right away," Saugstad said of the second set. "They played a couple of loose games, (and) they got out of the funk."
Trailing early in the tiebreaker, Jenson and Noriega did what they have grown accustomed to, and that's battle back. Down 2-1, the Monroe tandem rallied off eight straight points to come back and take the third set 10-4, advancing them to the second round.
"Both Mark and Kevin have done an extremely good job when playing from behind throughout the entire season," Saugstad said. "They've gone through stretches where they haven't necessarily played their best, (but) they somehow find a way to get out of their funk no matter what the situation is, and tonight they kept their composure... They earned it tonight."
Jenson and Noriega will face Dominican's third-seeded tandem of Danny Uhen and Frank Wong today at noon at UW-Madison's Nielsen Stadium.
