Badgers Tennis: Home Win, Away Loss

The Wisconsin men's tennis team had a mixed weekend on the courts. They secured a victory at home before suffering a defeat on the road. The Badgers now sit at 6-6 overall. They remain 0-1 in Big Ten play.

Friday began with a significant win at the Nielsen Tennis Center. Wisconsin hosted a 4-7 Pennsylvania squad. The Badgers had never beaten the Quakers in program history. Last year, they lost that matchup 4-3. This time, the home team dominated with a 6-1 score.

Wisconsin claimed the doubles point early. The No. 1 pair of senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin won 6-1. They remain unbeaten as a duo this season. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton added a 6-2 victory to lock in the point.

The Badgers won all but one of the singles matches. Colton, Soyfer, and Dodridge all won in straight sets. Freshman Jesper Freimuth also won in straight sets, taking the match 6-2 and 6-3. O'Hoisin required three sets to finish the job. He won 7-5, lost 4-6, and closed 10-2.

The team then traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They faced a 10-2 Middle Tennessee State squad. The Blue Raiders had not lost at home this season. They had already shut out five opponents on their own turf.

Wisconsin started the match strongly. O'Hoisin and Dodridge beat Chris Edge and Tom Moonen 6-4 in doubles. Senior Chema Carranza and Freimuth then defeated Glan Issa and Jan Porteset 6-2. That gave the Badgers the doubles point.

In singles, Soyfer won 6-4 and 6-3. That win improved his record to 10-0 in singles this season. Middle Tennessee State then won the next three singles matches. They took a 3-2 lead. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6 and 6-1 win. The outcome hinged on the final match between Carranza and Moonen.

Carranza lost the first set in a 7-6 tiebreak. He then won the second set 6-1. In the decisive third set, Carranza led 5-4. Moonen recovered to win the set 7-5. That result clinched the match for the Blue Raiders.

Head coach Danny Westerman acknowledged the pain of the loss. He believes the experience will help the team improve. "This one stings. We need to keep working. We put ourselves in these situations so we can eventually get over the hump," he told UWBadgers.com. The Badgers return to Nielsen Tennis Center next weekend. They will play a Sunday doubleheader against Cornell and UW-Green Bay.