The No. 62 Wisconsin men's tennis team looks to extend their winning streak against Marquette (7-4) to four this evening at Helfaer Tennis Stadium in Milwaukee.
The Badgers (6-4, 1-1) lead the all-time series against the Golden Eagles 41-2-1.
However, just because the Badgers have been successful against the Golden Eagles does not mean they will take the Golden Eagles lightly.
"[Marquette] is a solid team," UW head coach Greg Van Emburgh said. "They've got some good players and they are well coached. So our guys need to be ready to play."
Van Emburgh said Marquette could be looking at this match with something to prove.
"I'm sure [Steve Rodecap] is going to get those guys ready to play," Van Emburgh said. "They are playing at home. And they are saying, 'Hey listen, Wisconsin is a team on the rise; let's look to surprise them. Maybe they'll take us a little lightly'."
The UW coach stressed how important it was for his team to be ready for every single match and attack every opponent with the same ferocity.
"We need to make sure we have something to prove every time we walk on the court," Van Emburgh said. "Every time we walk on the court we have something to prove, no matter who the team is or what their ranking might be."
Co-captain Jeremy Sonkin is confident the Badgers can be successful against the Golden Eagles. The sophomore believes the Badgers need to approach the Golden Eagles like any other match and come out ready to play.
"We're very confident. We've been very successful against Marquette in the past few years," Sonkin said. "But [Marquette] is going to be another team like Butler … we can't take anything for granted. It is going to be a tough match like every match of our entire schedule is."
Sonkin will have to face the Golden Eagles top player Eigis Venrickas. Venrickas also teams up with fellow senior Ian Kawas to form Marquette top doubles pairing.
Both teams have only one common opponent on the season. Wisconsin defeated DePaul 7-0, while Marquette fell to the Blue Demons 2-5.
After Marquette, the Badgers have a short break before embarking on a spring break trip to Florida. Wisconsin faces South Florida and Florida Atlantic during their trip.
