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Youthful Badgers hold promise for future

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Also by Roger Anderson:

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The women’s tennis team is returning from their spring break trip to California with more than just a tan.

The Badgers now hold a 12-4 record and the rank of 35th in the nation. Led by junior Linda Mues, UW defeated DePaul 6-1 last Thursday in Malibu, Calif. The team is off to its best start in six years, posting a perfect 5-0 Big Ten mark.

Winning five of six singles matches and sweeping the doubles matches, the Badgers easily dispatched their Big Ten counterparts. Linda Mues won her fifth straight match at No. 2 singles (6-2, 6-3 over Marina Parashkevova), and paired with Lara Vojnov to win her No. 1 doubles match 8-6 over the team of Kelemen and Parashkevova. This is the second time in Mues’ career she has won five straight matches; she did so last season as well.

The team beat Depaul with singles contributions from Shana McElroy, Katie McGaffigan, Katie Dougherty, Lara Vojnov and Linda Mues, and doubles victories by the teams of Dougherty/Gonzaga and Martin/McGaffigan.

With just two seniors on the team this season, the Wisconsin women’s tennis program can see only improvement in its future. The brightest young star may be freshman Katie McGaffigan, who is playing at the No. 3 singles position. After winning three Iowa state championships, McGaffigan hopes to bring her winning ways to Wisconsin.

Although No. 1 singles player Vanessa Rauh failed to win her match last week, she represents the team’s highest individual ranking, at number 91 in the nation. The senior leader lost in a tiebreaker after splitting the first two sets with DePaul’s Szilvia Kelemen (3-6, 7-5, 1-0). Rauh feels she and the team still have something to prove; she describes herself as determined and focused. This spring Rauh hopes to improve upon her two top 50 singles victories from a year ago.

The Badgers’ best start since 1996 has lent a sense of optimism to their season outlook. So far this season, three of the four team losses have come at the hands of top 20 teams. Coach Patti Henderson hopes to win her second Big Ten championship and make her fifth NCAA tournament appearance.

This weekend, the Badgers will attempt to continue their success as they take on Big Ten rivals Indiana and Purdue at the Nielsen Tennis Complex.