The Badger women’s tennis team will host the No. 32 Iowa
Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers this weekend. With a
record of 8-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play, the Badgers are
coming off a victory over the No. 52 Boilermakers of Purdue from
last weekend. This victory has brought the Badgers back into the
national rankings at No. 66.

“Our national ranking is a reflection of our schedule and
the fact that we have not lost to anyone outside the top 35, and so
the win over the Boilermakers helped put us back in
contention,” Badger head coach Patti Henderson said.
“If we get on a roll this weekend, our ranking will hopefully
improve.”

The beginning of the conference schedule proved to be a tough
one for the Badgers, but after their recent victory, the players
hope to use their momentum against the Hawkeyes and the
Gophers.

“We feel pretty good about the past weekend,” said
Henderson of her team’s victory over the Boilermakers.
“At the beginning of the conference we had to play based off
our ranking, and the toughest part of the season was at the
beginning. All the teams in the conference have proven that they
are competitive and ready to play, but we have played better each
successive match.”

As the individual Badger players won’t know who they will
match up with until 30 minutes before the match, practice this week
hasn’t been focused on specific opponents but on the players’
own skills. This weekend the Badgers will focus on executing the
aspects of the game that they can control and making their
opponents fight for each point.

“Each day we practice, we are trying to make ourselves
better by working on our weaknesses,” Henderson said.
“It has been proven in the conference that anyone can beat
anyone.”

The Badgers’ No. 1 doubles pairing of juniors Lindsay Martin and
Katie McGaffigan also received a national ranking of No. 58 in the
most recent polls. The recent return of freshman Kaylan Caiati to
the lineup helped the Badgers in their recent victory, and she will
be a factor this weekend as well. The No. 2 doubles position
belongs to freshman Nicole Beck and senior Teresa Gonzaga, while
the No. 3 doubles spot will be senior Shana McElroy and Caiati.

At No. 1, singles will be McGaffigan followed by McElroy, then
Martin at the No. 3 position.

The Iowa Hawkeyes improved their record to 11-4 overall and 4-1
after defeating No. 20 Michigan and Michigan State last weekend.
The Hawkeyes’ top doubles partners, Meg Racette and Hillary Mintz,
defeated national No. 30 Wolverine pair Michelle DeCosta and Kara
Delicata.

Racette will also be at the No. 1 singles spot, and she has
proven to be a tough competitor.

The Gophers have claimed the last position in Big Ten standings,
due to a rough start in the conference with a record of 0-4 after a
recent loss to Michigan State. The Badgers will have to watch out
for top Minnesota duo Angela Buergis and Nischela Reddy, who have a
record of 2-2 in the conference. These two players also hold the
top two positions for singles.

“It is all about being ready in every match we go into;
there are no gimmes [in the conference],” said Henderson. “We
need to take the confidence where we can get it and gain momentum
off of the wins. We feel pretty good about this weekend, but we
cannot take any team lightly.”

This weekend, the Badgers will hope to continue their winning
streak and improve their national ranking.