Sports

Wisconsin looks to bounce back against Marquette

After dropping its first conference dual of the season to Northwestern over the weekend, the No. 36 Wisconsin women’s tennis team (3-3, 0-1 Big Ten) looks to get back on track Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Marquette at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

The Badgers will look to continue several positive trends from Sunday’s loss to the Wildcats, however. A pair of freshmen, Nicole Beck and Chelsea Nusslock, both scored wins for the Badgers, a promising sign for a team that could make a move up the Big Ten standings if the younger players continue to contribute.

“Last year, Kaylan Caiati and Caitlin Burke both came on for us and had great years,” Henderson said. “They made contributions right away. Chelsea (Nusslock) and Nicole (Beck) have shown the same thing to us so far,” head coach Patti Henderson said.

Wisconsin will not be alone in having to rely on young talent to make noise quickly. The Badgers will take on a Marquette team that will be both familiar and uncharted. The Golden Eagles (2-4, 0-0 C-USA), coached by Jody Bronson, the mother of UW basketball player Tanner Bronson, will not bring a single upperclassman to Madison. The squad features four freshmen and four sophomores, constituting one of the youngest squads in the country.

Marquette represents the first unranked team UW has scheduled since the Badgers took on the Ball State Cardinals Jan. 29. Playing against a team that Wisconsin should have a decisive upper hand against, Henderson expects her team to play like the superior team.

“Marquette is young this year,” Henderson said. “When you go from playing Northwestern, who is No. 5 in the country, to Marquette, who is unranked at the moment, you have to make sure that you take charge on the court. I think our biggest challenge is to ensure that we maintain our level of play and dictate how the matches go. We need to take control when we have the opportunity and carry that momentum.”

Despite losing 5-2 to Northwestern, Wisconsin was competitive against the No. 5 team in the nation. Though the squad can count their showing against Northwestern as a moral victory, Henderson maintains that her team has room for improvement, most notably in maintaining consistency in doubles play.

“I feel like we competed well against Northwestern. We really showed improvement from when we played Northwestern three weeks ago,” Henderson said. “Doubles is something that we need to improve upon. Right now, I think we have either swept or haven’t won a doubles point.”

Henderson also emphasized the need to avoid an emotional letdown after taking on the vaunted Northwestern juggernaut.

“How we dictate and impress ourselves upon Marquette, that for me is the No. 1 thing,” Henderson said. “There is more to it than just the “W”, for sure. Do we maintain the level of play that we had against Northwestern? That is what we are looking for.”

Having the opportunity to regroup after a conference setback is a luxury the Badgers have this season, one that Henderson hopes the team can capitalize on.

“If you use it properly, it can be very advantageous,” Henderson said. “As long as you continue to improve and impress upon our opponents our game style, then it is a good thing. We just can’t fall into the possible trap of dropping our level of play to match our opponents. In our last four or five dual matches we have been playing against the top 20 teams in the country. There is a difference between top 20 teams and a team that is unranked, so as long as we use the momentum and things we have learned against top competition, it’s a good thing.”