MONROE - The Cheesemakers finished second overall as a team at the eight-team annual Monroe Doubles Tournament Saturday. Green Bay Notre Dame, ranked second in the state in Division 2, won the tournament with 26 points. The Cheesemakers finished with 15 points, just ahead of Badger Conference rivals Sauk Prairie (14) and Fort Atkinson (13).
"Overall it was a great day of tennis for Monroe," Cheesemakers head coach Brad Saugstad said. "Hopefully, we can take the momentum from this tournament into our match against Fort Atkinson Monday (today)."
Monroe's No. 1 doubles tandem, Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz, opened the day with a struggle against Sauk Prairie's Erik Meyer and Kamphop Markkongkaew. The pair lost the first set, 3-6, but rebounded to win the second set (6-4) and the tiebreaker (10-4). The two lost to Notre Dame's Aaron Wienkers and Ryan Kopp, 6-0, 6-0 in the second round, but knocked off Fort Atkinson's Vitor Daudt and Nate Dailing, 6-2, 6-1 in the third-place match.
The Cheesemakers' No. 1A doubles tandem, made up of Monroe's typical No. 1 and 2 singles players (Carson Root and Taylor Soddy), lost in the championship match to Notre Dame's Andy and Scott Wall, 6-1, 6-3. Monroe's solo crew knocked off Monona Grove in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, and upended Fort Atkinson in the semifinals, 4-6, 6-3, 10-2.
"They proved to be a very formidable doubles team," Saugstad said. "Unfortunately they were no match for Green Bay Notre Dame's Wall brother's power."
Jakob Baertschi and Cristian Noriega also found themselves in the title match in the No. 2 doubles bracket. The duo fell to Fort Atkinson's Jacob Starkweather and Marc Dahnert, 6-1, 6-3 for second place. Baertschi and Noriega, Monroe's regular No. 2 doubles team, defeated McFarland in the first round, 4-6, 6-1, 10-8, and Sauk Prairie in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-4 to get to the title.
"(They) had a phenomenal day at No. 2 doubles. They started by knocking off the undefeated No. 2 seeded team from McFarland," Saugstad said. "Jakob and Cristian just took over the match with their net play in the second and third sets. They continued to play with that energy against Sauk Prairie. Today they put together two of their best matches of the season."
Monroe's No. 3 and 4 singles players, Eric Knudtson and Jess Hager, teamed up for the first time all year at No. 3 doubles. The pair won their first match over Baraboo, 6-1, 7-5, but lost to Notre Dame in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-2. In the third-place match, the two Cheesemakers won the first match over McFarland, 7-5, but lost the final two sets, 3-6, 8-10.
Luke Andraski and Luke Molinaro won their first match of the season. The tandem, which usually competes as Monroe's No. 3 doubles duo, knocked off Stoughton's Alex LeRoy and Manuel Calzada, 6-3, 6-4 before losing to Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-0. In the third-place match, Baraboo came out victorious, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
McFarland finished fifth with 12 points, Baraboo sixth with seven and Monona Grove had three. Stoughton failed to win a match. Notre Dame won four of the five brackets, with Fort Atkinson winning the only other division. First place finishes counted as six points; second received four; third, three; fourth, two; fifth, two; and sixth, one.
"Overall it was a great day of tennis for Monroe," Cheesemakers head coach Brad Saugstad said. "Hopefully, we can take the momentum from this tournament into our match against Fort Atkinson Monday (today)."
Monroe's No. 1 doubles tandem, Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz, opened the day with a struggle against Sauk Prairie's Erik Meyer and Kamphop Markkongkaew. The pair lost the first set, 3-6, but rebounded to win the second set (6-4) and the tiebreaker (10-4). The two lost to Notre Dame's Aaron Wienkers and Ryan Kopp, 6-0, 6-0 in the second round, but knocked off Fort Atkinson's Vitor Daudt and Nate Dailing, 6-2, 6-1 in the third-place match.
The Cheesemakers' No. 1A doubles tandem, made up of Monroe's typical No. 1 and 2 singles players (Carson Root and Taylor Soddy), lost in the championship match to Notre Dame's Andy and Scott Wall, 6-1, 6-3. Monroe's solo crew knocked off Monona Grove in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, and upended Fort Atkinson in the semifinals, 4-6, 6-3, 10-2.
"They proved to be a very formidable doubles team," Saugstad said. "Unfortunately they were no match for Green Bay Notre Dame's Wall brother's power."
Jakob Baertschi and Cristian Noriega also found themselves in the title match in the No. 2 doubles bracket. The duo fell to Fort Atkinson's Jacob Starkweather and Marc Dahnert, 6-1, 6-3 for second place. Baertschi and Noriega, Monroe's regular No. 2 doubles team, defeated McFarland in the first round, 4-6, 6-1, 10-8, and Sauk Prairie in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-4 to get to the title.
"(They) had a phenomenal day at No. 2 doubles. They started by knocking off the undefeated No. 2 seeded team from McFarland," Saugstad said. "Jakob and Cristian just took over the match with their net play in the second and third sets. They continued to play with that energy against Sauk Prairie. Today they put together two of their best matches of the season."
Monroe's No. 3 and 4 singles players, Eric Knudtson and Jess Hager, teamed up for the first time all year at No. 3 doubles. The pair won their first match over Baraboo, 6-1, 7-5, but lost to Notre Dame in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-2. In the third-place match, the two Cheesemakers won the first match over McFarland, 7-5, but lost the final two sets, 3-6, 8-10.
Luke Andraski and Luke Molinaro won their first match of the season. The tandem, which usually competes as Monroe's No. 3 doubles duo, knocked off Stoughton's Alex LeRoy and Manuel Calzada, 6-3, 6-4 before losing to Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-0. In the third-place match, Baraboo came out victorious, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
McFarland finished fifth with 12 points, Baraboo sixth with seven and Monona Grove had three. Stoughton failed to win a match. Notre Dame won four of the five brackets, with Fort Atkinson winning the only other division. First place finishes counted as six points; second received four; third, three; fourth, two; fifth, two; and sixth, one.
