When freshman Liz Carpenter took down Ohio State's Kristin Messmer 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 Saturday, the Badgers clinched an upset victory over the Buckeyes, ending a regular season marred by injury on a high note.
The day was rife with positive notes for Wisconsin, as the team earned a rare sweep on the doubles court early in the afternoon, with Nicole Beck and Erin Jobe clinching the point against Ciara Finucane and Messmer 8-6.
"It was very nice to be able to win at one, two and three [doubles]," head coach Patti Henderson said. "Nicole [Beck] did a great job of helping Erin [Jobe] find her own confidence [in doubles]."
Meanwhile, the Badgers finally returned to their standard lineup Saturday, as team ace Caitlin Burke returned to the top roster spot after two months spent fighting an injury on the sidelines. For Burke, still ranked No. 32 in the country, it was a rusty return that quickly turned smooth, as she handled the Buckeyes' Caitlin O'Keefe 7-5, 6-0, fighting the signs of a prolonged hiatus during a back-and-forth first set before silencing her opponent in quick and dramatic fashion during the second frame.
"I haven't played a match in over a month. … I wasn't playing as good as I used to and my confidence isn't as high right now," Burke said. "But after the first set, I started playing better, and the second set was a little easier."
Perhaps more importantly, the return of the team's top player meant the rest of the roster would no longer have to play up in covering for the absence. And that equated to a group of more evenly matched games.
"It pushes everybody else down. So everybody else is going to be — in theory — playing somebody who is not quite as good as before Caitlin goes in," Henderson said, "because when she goes in at the top, that's the effect she has."
Though Carpenter's victory clinched the home finale for the Badgers, it was sophomore Chelsea Nusslock who would exit the court last, ultimately playing a third set tiebreaker against Julie Blackmore in which the Wisconsin athlete would have to fight back from a deep deficit. Nusslock prevailed 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), taking the day's longest match with a signature level of attitude and ferocity, sealing a 5-2 win.
"I had to stay in her face because one of the assistant coaches … was really motivating the girl, really, really loud, and it was getting quite obnoxious," Nusslock said. "The louder I got, the more I won the point. So why not, I guess."
The only two Badger losses on the day came from Kaylan Caiati and Beck, dropping to Sonia Ruzimovsky and Finucane, respectively. Beck, indicating a shoulder injury, served underhand throughout her match before throwing in the towel late in the second set and giving her Buckeye opponent the victory.
"I didn't know that she was going to resort to underhand serves," Henderson said. "It's the first match that she didn't finish all year long."
Beck spent much of the beginning of the season on the bench with an illness and has fought a string of injuries and ailments since — including a mid-match bee sting against Purdue last weekend. But, as Henderson indicated, this marks the first time she has withdrawn from play mid-match this season.
