With a 4-13 record and the modest position of 10th in the Big Ten, it would seem that Wisconsin's men's tennis team has little fuel for optimism. However, silver linings abound for the Badgers, who charge down the stretch in the best shape of their conference season. Before dropping a match to No. 12-ranked Minnesota last weekend, the young team snapped a 10-game losing streak with a convincing win over Iowa.
The Badgers face a crucial weekend as they prepare to host No. 25-ranked Ohio State at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium Friday. They will close out their home season against Penn State Sunday.
\We feel like we're playing a lot better right now than we were earlier in the year. We definitely feel that we should beat Penn State, and we feel we've got a shot to get this match [Friday],"" Head Coach Pat Klingelhoets said. ""We're starting to play better, and we need to get at least one win out of this weekend. If we could get two, that'd be great.""
Six freshmen have earned court time this year, and the resulting growing pains have been unmistakable at times. Now that the team has an ample amount of experience under its belt, Klingelhoets believes the Badgers are ready to hit their stride.
""We always seem to play better at the end of the year. Early in the year, we work on a lot of technical stuff and try to develop some strokes which are going to pay off at the end,"" Klingelhoets said. ""I feel like it's starting to pay off. The younger guys are starting to get more confident, and a lot of hard work is starting to come together.""
During their 5-2 victory over Iowa, the Badgers' performance in singles matches finally matched the season-long success enjoyed by the doubles teams. Singles matches account for six of seven possible team points, so singles wins are essential to a team's success. Against Iowa, senior Blake Baratz, junior David Hippee and freshmen Ward Bortz and Mark Weinig all earned singles victories.
Although the Badgers have only one conference win this season, a log jam of five Big Ten teams with two or three conference victories could allow the team to make a successful late-season charge.
""We really need to go to Michigan and Michigan State and get two wins next weekend. We're out to win three or four of these last four matches,"" Klingelhoets said. ""That's gonna set us up with a decent seed going into the Big Ten tournament.\
