Heading into this past weekend, the No. 74 ranked University of Wisconsin women’s tennis team (7-13, 2-6) had lost seven consecutive contests. The streak began back in early March against No. 1 Northwestern (20-1, 8-0) and continued through April 4, when the Badgers fell to Purdue (7-11, 3-5). The team had lost the doubles point in the last four matches and was clearly reeling. With only four matches left before the Big Ten Tournament, head coach Brian Fleishman recognized the need for his team to finish well.
As a result, he made the surprising decision to mix up his No. 1 doubles team for the remainder of the season. For most of the season, senior Liz Carpenter had been paired with freshman Angela Chupa at the No. 1 spot. However, before the April 11 match at Iowa (7-13, 0-0), Fleishman paired Carpenter with sophomore Jessica Seyferth, who had spent most of the season at the second and third doubles spots but did have prior experience playing with Carpenter both this season and last.
“[Liz and Jessica] played last year together off and on, and we just got the chemistry running really well,” Fleishman said. “They like playing together, and that’s part of it in doubles. You have to like playing with your partner.”
The move paid off, as the Badgers notched their first conference win on Saturday against the Hawkeyes. Carpenter and Seyferth actually fell at the No. 1 spot, but were picked up by Chupa and her new partner, fellow freshman Aleksandra Markovic at third doubles. Seyferth had an opportunity to redeem herself in her singles match later, and did not disappoint as she defeated Kelcie Klockenga 6-4 in the final set. Overall, Wisconsin won by a score of 4-3.
On Sunday, the Badgers continued their hot streak with a 5-2 victory over No. 75 Minnesota (9-11, 2-7). Carpenter and Seyferth picked up their second win together at first doubles this season by defeating Karina Chiarelli and Alex Seaton by a score of 8-5.
“The first match [against Iowa] was tough, I think it was a close match,” Carpenter said. “The next day we played Minnesota and played really well, so we ended on a high note going into this weekend.”
This weekend, the Badgers will host Penn State (5-15, 0-0) on Saturday and No. 39 Ohio State (13-8, 0-0) on Sunday. Both matches will be played at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, which will help Carpenter and Seyferth continue to lead both the doubles point and the team.
“I try to play the same no matter where I play,” Seyferth said of being put at No. 1 doubles. ” There is a little more pressure at No. 1 doubles because it’s the top spot, but it doesn’t really faze me. I like playing with Liz, and it’s a good opportunity to beat some higher ranked teams and to play other teams’ best players.”
While a significant switch so late into the season might seem to create a daunting task for Carpenter and Seyferth, the two do have experience as a doubles pair. Earlier this season on Feb. 7, they were one of the few bright spots in a 5-2 loss to then-No. 63 Old Dominion, defeating Joanna Dobrowolska and Margarita Spicin by a score of 8-5 in the first doubles match. As a result, that experience has buoyed the confidence Carpenter and Seyferth have in their abilities as a doubles pair, and has eased the transitional difficulties that come with switching partners so late in the season. In fact, the two said there were barely any difficulties at all.
“I’ve played with her before, and I know Jess really well, so it wasn’t hard,” Carpenter said. “Also, having not played together for a while, sometimes when you come back you play really well.”
Not surprisingly, Seyferth was equally poised about the transition.
“We’re probably both playing our best tennis right now,” Seyferth said. “It’s come down to where anytime we need to win, we can get a win,”
Having had two recent matches to become reacquainted with each other on the court has clearly paid dividends for Carpenter and Seyferth, and Fleishman is not surprised.
“Moving them around doesn’t really affect them much,” Fleishman said. “It’s just trying to find out who they’re going to get along with best, who they mesh well with, and who they’re getting to enjoy playing with.”
With the Big Ten Tournament only a week away, the pressure facing the entire team is undoubtedly going to be ratcheted up. Particularly for Carpenter and Seyferth at No. 1 doubles, much of the weight will fall on their shoulders. Nevertheless, Fleishman is confident the duo will match their recent level of competition.
“I expect them to go out, and they’re going to compete the same every match,” Fleishman said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against, I know what I’m going to get out of them; they’re going to fight to the end.”
As a senior, Carpenter has had a wide variety of experiences at the ends of her past years. For this season, she sees only positives coming.
“We have two more matches, and then Big Tens,” Carpenter said. “Coming up on this past weekend, we came together as a team, and I think we’re going to carry it into this weekend.”
