JANESVILLE - The Monroe boys tennis team kicked off its season Saturday at the Janesville Craig Triangular.
The Cheesemakers knocked off Craig, 4-3, in the first dual, and then topped Oregon by the same mark later on.
"We had eight players getting their first varsity experience, so it was good to come out of this triangular with the win," first-year head coach Brad Saugstad said.
Carson Root topped Craig's Stewart Winter in the No. 1 singles match, 6-0, 6-1, and later beat Oregon's Kyle Onesti, 6-4, 6-1.
"Carson Root played two solid matches and showed a much improved game," Saugstad said.
Taylor Soddy made his debut at No. 2 singles and won both of his matches - 6-1, 6-0 - over Craig's Joel Neher and 6-3, 6-1 against Oregon's Justin Helmkamp.
"Taylor Soddy overcame some freshman nerves to put together two well-played wins," Saugstad said.
No. 3 singles player, Eric Knudtson, fell to Craig's Marvin Wedtland, 7-5, 6-4, before fending off Oregon's David Johnson, 6-3, 6-3.
Monroe used two different players in the No. 4 singles slot, both of which came up with losses. Jess Hager lost to Craig's Derek Masters, 7-5, 6-2 and Luke Molinaro fell to Oregon's Brian Jacobs, 6-0, 6-0.
Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz debuted at No. 1 doubles with a pair of wins, fending off Craig's top duo 6-1, 6-1 and Oregon's best 6-1, 6-4.
"Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz stepped up from No. 2 last year and played smart, aggressive doubles," Saugstad said.
Monroe's No. 2 doubles tandem of Jakob Baertschi and Cristian Noriega went 1-1 on the day. The pair knocked off Craig's tandem 6-2, 6-2, but lost to Oregon, 3-6, 6-4, 10-6.
"We lost four tight matchups where we couldn't win the big points. As we gain experience this year, we are going to have to learn to close out those matches," Saugstad said.
The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles were interchanged in both matches, with both pairs losing. Luke Morinaro and Luke Andraski lost to Craig 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 and Logan Wenger and Dylan McGuire fell to Oregon, 6-1, 6-0.
"Overall, we had a lot of positives today. The boys saw that we have some areas we need to work on in practice, but they seem motivated to improve," Saugstad said. "We play Waunakee on Tuesday and they return nearly all of their varsity lineup. That will be a touch early season test for the boys."
The Cheesemakers knocked off Craig, 4-3, in the first dual, and then topped Oregon by the same mark later on.
"We had eight players getting their first varsity experience, so it was good to come out of this triangular with the win," first-year head coach Brad Saugstad said.
Carson Root topped Craig's Stewart Winter in the No. 1 singles match, 6-0, 6-1, and later beat Oregon's Kyle Onesti, 6-4, 6-1.
"Carson Root played two solid matches and showed a much improved game," Saugstad said.
Taylor Soddy made his debut at No. 2 singles and won both of his matches - 6-1, 6-0 - over Craig's Joel Neher and 6-3, 6-1 against Oregon's Justin Helmkamp.
"Taylor Soddy overcame some freshman nerves to put together two well-played wins," Saugstad said.
No. 3 singles player, Eric Knudtson, fell to Craig's Marvin Wedtland, 7-5, 6-4, before fending off Oregon's David Johnson, 6-3, 6-3.
Monroe used two different players in the No. 4 singles slot, both of which came up with losses. Jess Hager lost to Craig's Derek Masters, 7-5, 6-2 and Luke Molinaro fell to Oregon's Brian Jacobs, 6-0, 6-0.
Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz debuted at No. 1 doubles with a pair of wins, fending off Craig's top duo 6-1, 6-1 and Oregon's best 6-1, 6-4.
"Patrick Gellings and Garrett Tschanz stepped up from No. 2 last year and played smart, aggressive doubles," Saugstad said.
Monroe's No. 2 doubles tandem of Jakob Baertschi and Cristian Noriega went 1-1 on the day. The pair knocked off Craig's tandem 6-2, 6-2, but lost to Oregon, 3-6, 6-4, 10-6.
"We lost four tight matchups where we couldn't win the big points. As we gain experience this year, we are going to have to learn to close out those matches," Saugstad said.
The Cheesemakers' No. 3 doubles were interchanged in both matches, with both pairs losing. Luke Morinaro and Luke Andraski lost to Craig 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 and Logan Wenger and Dylan McGuire fell to Oregon, 6-1, 6-0.
"Overall, we had a lot of positives today. The boys saw that we have some areas we need to work on in practice, but they seem motivated to improve," Saugstad said. "We play Waunakee on Tuesday and they return nearly all of their varsity lineup. That will be a touch early season test for the boys."
