Badgers fend off Nittany Lions
The No. 52 Wisconsin women’s tennis team got more than they bargained for from Penn State Sunday, fighting off a resilient Nittany Lion squad 6-1.
With the win, the Badgers improve their record to 12-9 and 5-3 in conference, while the Nittany Lions fall to 6-14 overall and 0-8 in the Big Ten.
“I was pleased with the doubles because we were challenged,” head coach Patti Henderson said. “No. 2 doubles was really challenged. For No. 1 to win after having a really off-match yesterday and turn that around, get that win today; I thought that was really good. We handled that tight situation. I thought they really stepped up when they needed to and were really composed and that made a difference.”
Penn State made the Badgers earn every one of their games in doubles. Leigh Ann Merryman and Megan Marton went blow for blow with Wisconsin’s Katie McGaffigan and Lindsay Martin, the 38th-ranked duo in the nation. UW eventually emerged victorious after winning the tiebreaker to make the match, 8-7(4).
At the No. 2 slot, PSU drew first blood by taking the first two games. Wisconsin stayed steady and just a step behind until 7-6 when they rallied for three straight games and the match win, 9-7.
First off the courts were Badgers Kaylan Caiati and Shana McElroy. The duo made fast work of Penn State’s Sasha Abraham and Katelyn BeVard, and won 8-4.
“In singles, I think Penn State is a team that has been so close, recently,” Henderson said. “Against Northwestern yesterday, they had four matches go to three sets. We did a really good job, where we had moments.”
With the doubles point under their belts, the Badgers headed into one-on-one competition. Seniors Teresa Gonzaga and McElroy made the most out of their last home appearances and turned out impressive performances. Down in the second set, Gonzaga pulled through to prevail over BeVard, 6-2, 6-4. Similarly, McElroy began her match in a bit of trouble, dropping the first set 4-6 to Marton. Charging back in the second, she took the set 6-2 pushing the match to a tiebreaker that McElroy claimed, 10-4.
“I felt like it was a really good team match,” Henderson said. “For the two seniors, Teresa and Shana, you can’t ask for a better day. They both went 2-0 (today), that’s 4-0 for them (on the weekend) and that’s just a great feeling for them finishing out their career here at Nielsen.”
“They both have really good careers,” Henderson continued. “Teri Gonzaga, in the last few weekends has really stepped up her singles play and is playing with a lot of confidence. She has always been integral in doubles. Shana has now won four out of five of her last matches, so it’s great. In her doubles at No. 3, I think (she and Caiati) are playing and communicating really well right now and working together really, really well. I think for those two (seniors) to close out their careers the way they did is awesome.”
Providing more points for the Badgers were newcomers Caitlin Burke and Caiati at the four and five, respectively. Each sent their opponents packing in straight sets. A nationally-ranked junior, McGaffigan also inked a victory in a 6-3, 6-3 rout of Merryman.
Up next for the Badgers are the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. The two matches will be the final regular season ones for the Wisconsin seniors, before the team heads to the Big Ten Championships April 29-May 1.
“Michigan State is right there,” Henderson said. “They are like Penn State, they have come close and have had some wins. I think that’s going to be a tough match. Michigan is a great team as well; they are 27th in the country. We’re going to have to show up, be ready to compete, be ready to fight hard and hopefully we can keep things going.”
–compiled from staff reports
