As the Wisconsin men’s tennis (12-11, 4-7 Big Ten) team stumbled into the final five matches of the regular season, it seemed as though there was little hope for the bottom-feeder of the Big Ten to make a run at a conference championship.

However, after digging up a newly found sense of perseverance, the Badgers have propelled themselves squarely into the Big Ten conversation, winning four of their last five matches.

The first half of the conference schedule was expected to give Wisconsin the most challenging matchups, interspersed with a variety of formidable teams such as Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois, which are all currently nationally ranked in the top 25.

With six straight losses to begin conference play, the Badgers were looking at a slim chance to make an impact in the regular season. However, head coach Greg Van Emburgh thinks the team is simply peaking at the right time.

“I think that we’re playing better tennis overall,” Van Emburgh said. “I think our lineup has really kind of worked itself out. I think we’re strong down low and I think we’re real hot and dangerous up top.”

Although Van Emburgh had hoped that the team’s success would have come earlier in the season, he is, nevertheless, pleased with its recent victories.

Junior captain Billy Bertha knew that after a 1-6 beatdown at Northwestern amid being blown out in five straight matches, Wisconsin had to rethink its strategy moving forward in Big Ten play.

“I think after the Northwestern match at one point, it was pretty bad conditions out there and we lost,” Bertha said. “We lost a close doubles point and got handed it to us in singles. … We realized we were a better team than that and kind of went on a roll from there.”

The play of Bertha has been a key reason for Wisconsin’s success as of late. The Whitefish Bay native has won four straight matches at No. 6 singles after returning from a back injury that forced him out of the lineup.

Before a tough conference schedule even began, Wisconsin was thrown into a storm of talented opponents on the road. The Badgers faced three teams nationally positioned in the top 30, winning a total of only three overall points in that stretch.

Although the young Wisconsin squad was faced with difficult obstacles early in the season, Bertha thinks the challenge helped the team against tough Big Ten competitors.

“I think we were a lot different of a team than we were then,” Bertha said. “Right now we’re playing a lot better and all the guys were pretty young then, too, so it took them a couple of matches to get used to college tennis.

“I think after a bunch of guys got some wins down and some confidence we’re all playing pretty well, so it helped us in the long run.”

As a team that carries two juniors on the roster and lacks any senior leadership, Wisconsin developed at a slower pace throughout the course of the season, partially because of the team’s youth. The standard singles lineup contained both juniors but three sophomores and a freshman.

Van Emburgh considers the team to still be in a rebuilding process after making an appearance in the NCAA tournament’s Round of Sixteen two seasons ago with a squad that boasted three seniors.

The Wisconsin head coach admits a lack of experience was a disadvantage for the team, a drawback that could help the Badgers in seasons to come as they grow into more developed players.

“I just think we’re young and inexperienced and obviously if you do have a couple of seniors on the team, you’re going to get some more experience and guys who have kind of been through it and some more leadership,” Van Emburgh said. “It definitely hurt us a little bit.”

Coincidentally, the Badgers are matched up with the latest addition to the Big Ten in the first round of the conference tournament this Thursday. In the last regular season match at Nebraska, the wins of both upperclassmen drove the team to a 4-3 victory.

Junior Alexander Kostanov, initially in a one-set hole, sealed the win as he pulled out a taxing three-set victory when the overall score was knotted at three apiece.

Kostanov was all smiles as he relished the moment, knowing his match determined the overall result.

“The guy I played was a freshman, and I am [a] junior so I had some mental advantages,” Kostanov said. “That’s why I turned it around. … Yeah, it’s a great feeling.”

Although Wisconsin surrendered all three doubles matches to lose the opening mark, four singles victories were just enough to put Nebraska away in the first conference meeting between the two programs.

Just as the Badgers celebrated a strong finish to their season, they must quickly regroup and hit the road to face the Cornhuskers a second time. The winner of the match will challenge the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Van Emburgh understands that playing the same team in consecutive matches can present opposing perspectives.

“You can look at it as an advantage because we beat them, but then also you can look at it as a disadvantage because now they really know what to expect,” Van Emburgh said. “I think either way it’s going to be a real close match; they’re a good team and I don’t think they’ve achieved as high as they could have played this year.”