Prior to the match on April 8, the University of Wisconsin women’s tennis team was eager to close the at-home season with a victory. Unfortunately, when they were matched with No. 30 Ohio State the Badgers could not accomplish their goal. The final score of the match was 5-2 with the Badgers falling short.

One of the few key players who assisted in closing the deficit to 3-2 earlier in the match is junior Sarah Castellano. She is a transfer from Kansas State University and has proven herself throughout this season to become a critical player on the team.

Another player who should be honorably mentioned is freshman Lexi Keberle. Recruited from West Bend, Wisconsin, Lexi finished out her high school career ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Wisconsin, and ranked No. 26 nationally. She had played first singles against Ohio State’s Anna Sanford, and unfortunately lost 6-3, 6-4. Lexi is now ranked 1-3 against nationally-ranked opponents.

Women’s tennis: Badgers look to rebound from recent Big Ten losses against Ohio State

Sophomore Melissa Pick was victorious against her opponent Maria Tyrina in the No. 4 singles slot. Pick has really proven her success, she had only been in the No. 4 slot three other times after being in the No. 5 slot for the entirety of last season.

As for the future, the Badgers remain to keep their heads up high for upcoming away matches against Northwestern, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa. In previous Big Ten matchups, Wisconsin has put up a notable fight, with wins against Maryland and Rutgers. Also, the Badgers lost a close match against Penn State, just one match away from ending the losing streak that lasted for the last six matches against the Nittany Lions.

For next week, the Badgers will face the Wildcats in Chicago. Northwestern has had a great season so far, and there is still hope the Badgers will prevail and bring home a victory. There is still plenty of opportunities for the Badgers to triumph and pull through to the Big Ten Championship.