The season has been a wild ride for the Wisconsin men's tennis team, but after earning their third straight at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers will travel to Champaign, Ill., to take on Louisville in the first round.
After briefly earning their first top-20 rank in over 30 years, the Badgers found mixed results on their spring campaign, finishing 4-6 in the Big Ten (16-10 overall). According to assistant coach Evan Austin, it was likely the victory over Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament that moved the squad back to No. 32 and secured a bid for the Badgers that, who otherwise have been on the bubble.
""I think it was never a question of if we could achieve it or not … and we still can kind of improve with Louisville,"" freshman Patrick Pohlmann said.
Louisville handed the Badgers their second loss of the season in February by pulling the match out from under them in a close 4-3 decision. But according to Austin, the upcoming match is less about settling a score with Louisville and more about making a strong run worthy of the tournament.
""They have a lot of guys that are real scrappy. They fight hard, they make a lot of balls … and all through their lineup they're a good team,"" Austin said. ""We know really what to expect, and we know we have to bring our best game and be ready to compete hard against them.""
Led by No. 28 sophomore Austen Childs, the young Cardinals have swung through the rankings to No. 21, finishing 20-7 and eager to prove themselves after failing to qualify for the tournament in 2008. With both teams looking for their first trip to the round of 16, the Badgers are bracing themselves for an all-out war.
""We have to play really well, we have to compete really hard and of course you need a little bit of luck, too,"" junior Moritz Baumann said. ""Play it free and hopefully we'll get to four [points].""
If the Badgers come out on top, the winner of the matchup between No. 13 Illinois and Western Michigan waits for them Saturday in the second round. The Badgers reached the second round for the first time in 2007, and their two trips back have put them among a select few in the Big Ten who have appeared in each of the last three years.
The consistent growth is significant for the Badgers, who crossed another marker this year with Baumann and sophomore Marek Michalicka's successes and will send two players into the tournament's singles draw for the first time since 1975.
""[To] have two guys into the singles is definitely something special … so definitely those guys should be proud,"" Austin said. ""It means that we've got some of the top players in the country, and I think obviously that's a good thing for recruiting and that's a good thing for the program.""
For No. 29 Baumann, this will be a return appearance after the southpaw fell in the first round of last year's tournament to senior Travis Helgeson of Georgia. He enters the tournament on the tail of his 22-1 season and third All-Big Ten honor, joined this time by No. 57 Michalicka. As a pair, Baumann and Michalicka are ranked No. 26 and are second alternates to the 32-tandem doubles bracket.
To Baumann, being a second player to represent the Badger talent is a step in the right direction for a squad that continues to add ambitious young talent to its singles lineup.
""It probably shows how the program has improved over the last 30 years. It shows that we're on the right track,"" he said.
The winner at the Illinois regional will join those from 15 other sites to advance to the final rounds at Texas A&M May 14 to 19. The singles tournament will follow on the same courts May 20 through 25.
