EAST TROY - The Monroe boys tennis team is still vying for a trip to state and is tied with Madison Edgewood with 20 points after the East Troy subsectional Monday, May 20.
The Cheesemakers went 10-2 in the matches they played.
"We came through with some tough wins, and had an excellent day," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "We put ourselves in a position to contend for a spot at team state. We are going to need to win a lot of our first round matches at sectionals to have a shot at winning it. It definitely won't be easy because Edgewood is a very tough team, but hopefully the boys can rise to the challenge and keep our season going.
"Our schedule to this point has been a big benefit to us. A lot of the teams in our subsectional only play other division two schools and don't play a lot of great competition. Some of the tough losses that we had taken earlier in the season got us ready to come out and have a good day today.
Monroe senior Taylor Soddy at No. 1 singles defeated Jefferson's Danny Arndorfer 7-5, 6-1. Monroe sophomore Kevin Noriega at No. 2 singles defeated Jefferson's Jon Aumann 6-2, 6-3 and then lost to No. 1 seed Adam Kolnick of Walworth Big Foot 6-1, 6-1. At No. 3 singles, sophomore Matt Monahan defeated Whitewater's Chamath Gunawardena 6-1, 6-1. Monahan, who was a No. 2 seed, lost to No. 3 seed Ty Jay of Jefferson in the second round 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Monahan rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set. He won four straight games to take a 6-5 lead.
"Jay put together a nice serving game to force a tiebreak, and Matt couldn't quite pull it out," Saugstad said.
Monroe sophomore Jeremy Miller at No. 4 singles beat Whitewater's Ben Hanson 6-0, 6-1 and defeated McFarland's Rob Cook 7-5, 6-2. Miller battled back from a 4-0 deficit in the first set against Cook.
"Jeremy started to keep some balls in play and get a rhythm going and ended up just overwhelming his opponents with his topspin, pace, and deep shots," Saugstad said. "Jeremy's taken some tough losses this year, and I was so happy to see him put together two good matches and get two wins for the team."
The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles team of seniors Kevin Kohlstedt and Jess Hager defeated Edgerton's Jamie de Moya Cota and Rudy Mogden 6-3, 6-3. At No. 2 doubles, the Cheesemakers' Josh Riese and Mark Jenson beat McFarland's Logan Meinert and Draws Jake Seisenopp 6-0, 6-4. Riese and Jenson, the No. 2 seed, then defeated No. 3 seed Justin Smith and Jared Dewar of Edgerton 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Monroe's Vince Wartenweiler and Jared Nix, a No. 2 seed, beat Big Foot's Neil Stillin and Adrian Hernandez 6-0, 5-7, 6-1. They then cruised past McFarland's Marshall Ziegler and Ben Barker 6-1, 6-1.
"Mark and Josh were really struggling for the first set and a half," Saugstad said. "Finally, Mark and Josh started putting away the balls and playing like they have been and made a terrific comeback. When these two get on a roll in a match they are tough to beat."
The Cheesemakers went 10-2 in the matches they played.
"We came through with some tough wins, and had an excellent day," Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said. "We put ourselves in a position to contend for a spot at team state. We are going to need to win a lot of our first round matches at sectionals to have a shot at winning it. It definitely won't be easy because Edgewood is a very tough team, but hopefully the boys can rise to the challenge and keep our season going.
"Our schedule to this point has been a big benefit to us. A lot of the teams in our subsectional only play other division two schools and don't play a lot of great competition. Some of the tough losses that we had taken earlier in the season got us ready to come out and have a good day today.
Monroe senior Taylor Soddy at No. 1 singles defeated Jefferson's Danny Arndorfer 7-5, 6-1. Monroe sophomore Kevin Noriega at No. 2 singles defeated Jefferson's Jon Aumann 6-2, 6-3 and then lost to No. 1 seed Adam Kolnick of Walworth Big Foot 6-1, 6-1. At No. 3 singles, sophomore Matt Monahan defeated Whitewater's Chamath Gunawardena 6-1, 6-1. Monahan, who was a No. 2 seed, lost to No. 3 seed Ty Jay of Jefferson in the second round 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Monahan rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set. He won four straight games to take a 6-5 lead.
"Jay put together a nice serving game to force a tiebreak, and Matt couldn't quite pull it out," Saugstad said.
Monroe sophomore Jeremy Miller at No. 4 singles beat Whitewater's Ben Hanson 6-0, 6-1 and defeated McFarland's Rob Cook 7-5, 6-2. Miller battled back from a 4-0 deficit in the first set against Cook.
"Jeremy started to keep some balls in play and get a rhythm going and ended up just overwhelming his opponents with his topspin, pace, and deep shots," Saugstad said. "Jeremy's taken some tough losses this year, and I was so happy to see him put together two good matches and get two wins for the team."
The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles team of seniors Kevin Kohlstedt and Jess Hager defeated Edgerton's Jamie de Moya Cota and Rudy Mogden 6-3, 6-3. At No. 2 doubles, the Cheesemakers' Josh Riese and Mark Jenson beat McFarland's Logan Meinert and Draws Jake Seisenopp 6-0, 6-4. Riese and Jenson, the No. 2 seed, then defeated No. 3 seed Justin Smith and Jared Dewar of Edgerton 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Monroe's Vince Wartenweiler and Jared Nix, a No. 2 seed, beat Big Foot's Neil Stillin and Adrian Hernandez 6-0, 5-7, 6-1. They then cruised past McFarland's Marshall Ziegler and Ben Barker 6-1, 6-1.
"Mark and Josh were really struggling for the first set and a half," Saugstad said. "Finally, Mark and Josh started putting away the balls and playing like they have been and made a terrific comeback. When these two get on a roll in a match they are tough to beat."
