This weekend at the Nielsen Center the UW women’s tennis team hosts its Big Ten home opener against Ohio State and Penn State.
The Badgers, who started the season ranked No. 74 in the nation, moved to No. 41 due largely to the consistent play of all team members. Over the past two years, the Badgers have gone unranked, but this year has brought nothing but success.
“We are more confident now,” junior Shana McElroy said. “We have been doing so much better than the past few years. There is a good team atmosphere.”
This weekend will be a good indicator as to where the Badgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) stand compared to these two competitive teams. The road will not be easy, though, as they face No. 35 Ohio State Saturday. The Buckeyes (8-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have emerged as a dominant force in the Big Ten, winning 25 out of their last 28 home matches.
The Badgers will try to fight off No. 65 Penn State Sunday. The Nittany Lions (2-3, 0-1 Big Ten) are still a team that should not be overlooked despite a season filled with some tough losses. The Lions are looking fresh with a lot of new players on the roster this season.
Despite the Badgers’ high energy going into this weekend, they realize that in a conference of unexpected wins and losses there are no easy games and that every player has to show up mentally to each match.
“We have to maintain focus and have a good level of intensity, ” Wisconsin coach Patti Henderson said regarding what her team has to do to be successful this weekend.
Leading the Badgers is No. 1 singles player Vanessa Rauh. She has been competing well, coming off a big win last weekend. Also expect No. 2 singles player McElroy and her consistent backhand to wear down the aggressive Buckeyes.
Not only are the Wisconsin upperclassmen playing well, but the emergence of the freshman have made a mark on the conference. The No. 3 freshman duo of Lindsay Martin and Katie McGaffigan has yet to be defeated this season. Also watch the No. 1 spot of Linde Mues and Lara Vojnov as they continue their momentum from last weekend’s victory.
As the Badgers left practice this week the overall atmosphere was extremely positive.
“I think we are really excited going into [the tournament], it being our first Big Ten match at home and we are ready to prove that we’re back to being one of the top teams in the conference” said McElroy.
It’s the strong play from seniors and freshman alike that makes this season’s team so unique and successful.
“Our biggest strength is that every single person contributes towards our victories; that’s huge,” Henderson said. “We are much more mature and composed on the court, and we have a lot of experience”.
“We hope to see people come out and watch because it’s going to be good.,” McElroy said.
The matches begin at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Nielsen Tennis Center.
