The No. 48 Wisconsin men’s tennis team concluded five Spring Break matches with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over No. 36 Penn State Sunday at Sarni Tennis Center in University Park, Pa.
The Badgers (2-1 Big Ten, 10-7 overall) secured the victory when sophomore Michael Dierberger registered a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Penn State’s Ryan Gormley at No. 5 singles.
After losing the opening doubles point, the Badgers captured four of six singles matches over the Nittany Lions (1-1, 6-7). Seniors Nolan Polley and Jeremy Sonkin also notched excruciating three-set wins, with Sonkin needing to win a tiebreaker in the last two sets of his match for the victory. Sophomore Moritz Baumann, ranked the No. 44 singles player in the nation, had an easier time, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (3) over the Nittany Lions’ Michael James, the No. 52 ranked player nationally, at the No. 1 singles slot.
Two days earlier, the Badgers came close in several matches, but fell short to No. 14 Michigan 5-2 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sonkin and sophomore Luke Rassow-Kantor each won the first set of their respective singles matches, but neither could hold on for a victory.
Polley and freshman Marek Michalicka emerged as the only Badgers to pick up singles wins. Michalicka’s win Friday made him undefeated in the spring season in 14 singles matches. However, he fell short of his 15th consecutive win at Penn State Sunday.
One week earlier, the Badgers went 2-1 at the Blue Gray Classic in Montgomery, Ala. The trip was highlighted by a 4-2 victory over then-No. 48 Fresno State on the second day of the tournament.
In the win, UW took four of the six singles matches to assure victory and prevent the need to play doubles matches for the doubles point. Baumann, Michalicka, Polley and senior Felipe Bellido all tallied wins for the Badgers.
This weekend, UW will host two Big Ten opponents as its main conference schedule resumes. Purdue visits Madison Saturday afternoon, while the Badgers will look for an upset over Illinois, the nation’s No. 12 team, the following day.
Women
The UW women’s tennis team notched consecutive non-conference wins in final tune-ups before the bulk of the Big Ten schedule begins.
Fueled by the opening doubles point, the Badgers (0-3 Big Ten, 7-8 overall) defeated Central Florida 5-2 Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
UW secured two of three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead in the match, following with four singles victories in six matches for the final margin. Senior Chelsea Nusslock provided the final blow when she registered her team-leading eighth victory of the season. At No. 5 singles, Nusslock notched a 6-4, 6-2 win over Jennifer Carati of the Knights (2-0 Conference USA, 8-8).
On March 15, the Badgers dominated in a 6-1 victory over Miami (OH) at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison. UW swept the doubles point and captured five of six singles matches en route to the win.
This weekend, the Badgers will face consecutive conference foes on the road. Saturday, the Badgers head for Champaign, Ill., to take on the Illini, followed by a trip Sunday to Purdue.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
