On the heels of an impressive performance in a loss to then-No. 5 Illinois, the Wisconsin men's tennis team heads to Montgomery, Ala., this weekend to participate in the 2007 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. The No. 39 Badgers are making their first appearance in school history at the event.
"It's a great national event, and you actually need to be invited to participate, so it feels great," coach Greg Van Emburgh said of the Blue Gray Classic.
The Blue Gray Classic has been highly regarded among collegiate coaches as one of the top tennis events in the country for nearly 60 years. As a result, the event draws many of the top-ranked teams and individuals every year.
One of the players to watch this weekend will be No. 12 Stephen Bass as he tries to lead No. 7 Notre Dame to its second Blue Gray Classic title in three years.
Among the teams participating in this year's event is defending champion, No. 32 Virginia Commonwealth University, which has won three of the last four years. Also in the field this year are No. 14 Alabama, No. 16 South Alabama, No. 22 Texas Tech and No. 27 Boise State.
For the Badgers, this event will be a learning experience and a building block for the rest of the spring season.
"Whenever you can get three top matches against teams ranked in the top 40 in the country, it is a great asset for strength of schedule," Van Emburgh said. "As we move toward where we want to be at the end of the season, it is a great opportunity for us."
The Badgers' draw for the tournament pits them against No. 27 Boise State in the first round Thursday. Wisconsin will then face either No. 16 South Alabama or No. 34 Middle Tennessee State Friday.
The possible teams which the Badgers may face Saturday include No. 33 N.C. State, William & Mary, Louisville and No. 14 Alabama. If Wisconsin were to win each of its first three matches, it would reach the tournament final and likely face No. 7 Notre Dame.
An important factor for the Badgers this weekend will be the play of Nolan Polley. According to Van Emburgh, the junior from Lexington, Ky., has been under the weather this week, so it will be interesting to see what kind of performance they get from him.
Another key for the Wisconsin men's tennis team this weekend will be to build off of strong individual performances from last Sunday's match against Illinois. In the match, the Badgers came up short in the 5-2 loss despite impressive wins by Jeremy Sonkin and Felipe Bellido.
In order to come away with one or more victories this weekend, Wisconsin must go in to Montgomery prepared to play with some of the best teams and individuals in the nation.
"We feel like our team is definitely making a lot of progress this year," Van Emburgh said. "The most important thing is that we go in ready to play when we take the court."
