STOUGHTON - The Cheesemakers got four second-place finishes from different flights to take third place in the Stoughton Invitational Saturday.
Oregon edged Sauk Prairie 29-28 for the team title. The Cheesemakers racked up 20 points for third place, and two of Monroe's singles players finished in the top two. Monroe senior David Shon at No. 1 singles went 2-1 in the invite to take second and senior Rhett Katzenberger went 2-1 to finish second place at No. 4 singles.
"Getting four flights into the championship matches was great for us, but the negative side of it was we lost all four championship matches," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "From my perspective, our mental mistakes hurt us more than any physical mistakes. We lost our composure at times, chose to go for some poor shots, and hung on to our mistakes as opposed to moving on and getting ready for the next point. Mental toughness is a key skill for any good tennis player and it's an area we need to improve at."
Shon defeated Big Foot's Nico Tovar 6-0, 6-2. He then beat Stoughton's Asher McMullin 6-3, 6-4.
"David was battling double faults in the match against Stoughton, but managed to get it fixed and get the win," Saugstad said.
In the championship match, Oregon's Calvin Schneider defeated Shon 6-4, 6-0. Shon led 4-3 in the first set before struggling with shot placement, Saugstad said.
Katzenberger defeated Stoughton's Adam McCunes 6-1, 6-2 and knocked off Milton's Chris Hanna 6-1, 6-2. Sauk Prairie's Alec Anderson beat Katzenberger in the title match 7-5, 6-1.
The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles team of seniors Kevin Noriega and Matt Monahan went 2-1 to finish second place. Noriega and Monahan beat Oregon's No. 1 doubles team 6-3, 6-1 and then defeated Stoughton's top team 6-1, 6-0. Sauk Prairie edged them in the championship match 7-5, 6-4. Noriega and Monahan avenged an earlier season three-set loss to Oregon.
Monroe senior Jeremy Miller and sophomore Kody Althaus also went 2-1 to finish second place at No. 2 doubles. Miller and Althaus defeated Stoughton 6-4, 6-0 and outlasted Sauk Prairie's No. 2 team in three sets 7-5, 1-6, 10-3.
"Jeremy has struggled in tiebreaks in the past so to get the tiebreak-win was big for the team," Saugstad said.
Oregon's No. 2 doubles team defeated them in the title match 6-4, 6-2.
Monroe sophomore Silas Setterstrom went 1-2 at No. 2 singles and took fourth place. Big Foot's Nick Kleismith defeated Setterstrom 6-4, 6-4 in a third place match.
The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles team of Keyton Friske and Cole Oudinot finished fifth place. Friske and Oudinot defeated Janesville Parker 6-1, 6-4 in a fifth-place match.
Monroe senior Zach Hendrickson at No. 3 singles went 1-2 and took sixth place.
Oregon edged Sauk Prairie 29-28 for the team title. The Cheesemakers racked up 20 points for third place, and two of Monroe's singles players finished in the top two. Monroe senior David Shon at No. 1 singles went 2-1 in the invite to take second and senior Rhett Katzenberger went 2-1 to finish second place at No. 4 singles.
"Getting four flights into the championship matches was great for us, but the negative side of it was we lost all four championship matches," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "From my perspective, our mental mistakes hurt us more than any physical mistakes. We lost our composure at times, chose to go for some poor shots, and hung on to our mistakes as opposed to moving on and getting ready for the next point. Mental toughness is a key skill for any good tennis player and it's an area we need to improve at."
Shon defeated Big Foot's Nico Tovar 6-0, 6-2. He then beat Stoughton's Asher McMullin 6-3, 6-4.
"David was battling double faults in the match against Stoughton, but managed to get it fixed and get the win," Saugstad said.
In the championship match, Oregon's Calvin Schneider defeated Shon 6-4, 6-0. Shon led 4-3 in the first set before struggling with shot placement, Saugstad said.
Katzenberger defeated Stoughton's Adam McCunes 6-1, 6-2 and knocked off Milton's Chris Hanna 6-1, 6-2. Sauk Prairie's Alec Anderson beat Katzenberger in the title match 7-5, 6-1.
The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles team of seniors Kevin Noriega and Matt Monahan went 2-1 to finish second place. Noriega and Monahan beat Oregon's No. 1 doubles team 6-3, 6-1 and then defeated Stoughton's top team 6-1, 6-0. Sauk Prairie edged them in the championship match 7-5, 6-4. Noriega and Monahan avenged an earlier season three-set loss to Oregon.
Monroe senior Jeremy Miller and sophomore Kody Althaus also went 2-1 to finish second place at No. 2 doubles. Miller and Althaus defeated Stoughton 6-4, 6-0 and outlasted Sauk Prairie's No. 2 team in three sets 7-5, 1-6, 10-3.
"Jeremy has struggled in tiebreaks in the past so to get the tiebreak-win was big for the team," Saugstad said.
Oregon's No. 2 doubles team defeated them in the title match 6-4, 6-2.
Monroe sophomore Silas Setterstrom went 1-2 at No. 2 singles and took fourth place. Big Foot's Nick Kleismith defeated Setterstrom 6-4, 6-4 in a third place match.
The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles team of Keyton Friske and Cole Oudinot finished fifth place. Friske and Oudinot defeated Janesville Parker 6-1, 6-4 in a fifth-place match.
Monroe senior Zach Hendrickson at No. 3 singles went 1-2 and took sixth place.
