As the end of a season nears and titles are at stake, it is imperative to find enough thrust to drive directly into the tournament finals.
The Badger women’s tennis team won its last three matches of the season, finding momentum as it heads to Champaign, Ill., for the Big Ten Championships.
The tournament begins today as sixth-seeded Wisconsin (10-11, 5-5 Big Ten) faces No. 11 Michigan State in a rematch of last week’s UW victory. Head coach Patti Henderson said she likes her team’s chances.
“I’m confident in us. We’ve garnered some momentum,” Henderson said. “Each person is stepping on the court and taking the match into their own hands.”
Senior Linde Mues, the No. 1 UW singles player, said each player is collectively giving the team a shot at the title.
“It’s all about peaking at the right moment,” Mues said. “And I feel like with the wins the past two weeks, we are beginning to peak. We could take advantage of that.”
Minnesota, Northwestern and Illinois control the top three seeds respectively. The Wildcats are four-time defending conference champions, though the Golden Gophers top off the conference record with nine wins and just one loss.
The Badgers, who had the seventh-best conference record this season, dominated the Spartans last weekend with a 7-0 sweep, but Henderson said she expects to see a much different Spartan lineup when the two square off today.
Henderson, the 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year, said Michigan State will have a few players back from injury and only two or three matchups will remain the same in the rematch.
If the Badgers do handle Michigan State as easily as last week, they’ll take on third-seeded Illinois Friday. Henderson said Illinois should not benefit that much from playing in Champaign.
“Home court advantage can go both ways,” Henderson said. “Sometimes it can help and sometimes it can hurt. The outcome won’t be determined but the fact that we’re playing at Illinois.”
UW lost earlier this season to Illinois 4-3, but Henderson said each team has shown it is vulnerable to an upset.
Mues, a 2002 All-Big Ten honoree, said she was disappointed with how the season has gone thus far and that the team is anxious to prove how well it really can play.
“We’re going to take it to them. We’re pumped and excited,” Mues said. “Our season hasn’t gone as well as last year, so we’re pumped for the tournament.
“If we can get through that first round, we can do very well,” she added. “I feel like anything’s possible.”
Senior Laura Vojnov, who won her singles match versus Michigan State in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, said no Big Ten team has really separated itself from the masses.
“I feel like we have come close with quite a few of the teams,” Vojnov said. “If we all have a good weekend, we could quite easily come out and win the tournament.”
