After a long season, frustration has finally set in for the Wisconsin women’s tennis team. Although the team had a slow start to the regular season, its play throughout the Big Ten season has been even more disappointing.
Following losses to four Big Ten opponents, the Badgers were shut out in two of their next three matches by Indiana and Minnesota, starting conference play at 0-7. However, thanks to the play of standout freshman Jessica Seyferth, the Badgers have now turned over a new leaf and started to play closer to their potential.
With Seyferth leading the team, Wisconsin has won its last two matches in Big Ten play against Iowa and Michigan State. Not only did the Badgers avoid a winless Big Ten season, but they also earned their wins against two nationally ranked teams.
In the Iowa match, Seyferth recorded victories in both her singles and doubles matches to lead the team over the Hawkeyes. After winning her doubles match with senior Chelsea Nusslock, Seyferth still had enough energy to win her singles match in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-3.
“I think everyone finally brought everything we had to that match,” Seyferth said. “We were really tired of losing, and we knew we were better than our record was showing, so everyone really brought it to Iowa.”
The recent success of the Badgers has given them some much-needed momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
“I think that our confidence level is a lot higher, and hopefully we match up against teams we lost to earlier in the year, so we can prove to them how much we got better,” Seyferth said.
In the tournament, which starts Thursday, the Badgers will have the opportunity to face a familiar foe in Michigan State. In the teams’ last meeting — a 5-2 Wisconsin victory — Seyferth and Nusslock combined to win their doubles match 8-4.
Although the coaching staff did not know what to expect from Seyferth at the start the year, she has certainly met all expectations.
“As a freshman you don’t know what type of pride they’re going to bring in with them for the school,” UW head coach Brian Fleishman said. “Even though she’s from Ann Arbor, Mich., she’s all about Madison and being a Badger. She takes that intensity and pride to the court and kind of spreads to the rest of the team.”
Proving herself hasn’t come easy for Seyferth, however. Earlier in the year, she had close matches against Baylor, Purdue and Illinois fall short. However, the tough losses prepared Seyferth for the success that was soon to follow.
“I think they’ve helped me both mentally and physically but definitely made me a stronger player mentally,” Seyferth said. “Even in the matches I lost, it kind of gave me some experience.” According to Fleishman, the struggles earlier on can be directly attributed to the recent success of the team.
“The close matches and Big Ten matches have made us stronger and more confident towards the end of the season,” Fleishman said. “That can be seen by our two recent wins against Iowa and Michigan State.”
Fortunately for the Badgers, Seyferth will be on the team for years to come.
“She’s a freshman, and she’s playing like a senior,” Fleishman said. “We got her for three more years, and I think she’s going to get better each year. She had a great season this year, but we’re expecting a lot more out of her the next three.”
