The No. 33 women's tennis team put away a 6-1 victory against No. 65 Minnesota on Saturday, yet was unable to do the same to the No. 54 Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday.
The Badger win against Minnesota (0-6 Big Ten, 5-11 overall) was thanks to five victories in singles play. Senior Katie McGaffigan, sohpomores Caitlin Burke and Kaylan Caiati, and freshmen Nicole Beck Chelsea Nusslock all earned wins and the doubles point garnered from No. 1 team McGaffigan and Burke and No. 3 team Beck and Nusslock victories, provided the 6-1 margin of victory.
On Saturday, singles play remained a strong suit for Wisconsin (4-3, 12-6). However, the team seemed to still be adjusting to its new doubles partners.
The Badgers were tied with Iowa 3-3 in the singles matches, but Wisconsin was unable to gain the doubles point, resulting in the loss to Iowa (4-2, 10-7). Head coach Patti Henderson is confident that the new combinations will solidify.
\I feel good about the combinations that we've got right now,"" Henderson said. ""But they've only played a few matches. We'll have this week in practice to work on some doubles patterns and set-ups and get some chemistry.""
Wisconsin has taken away many victories without the doubles point, but today the team was dealing with other circumstances.
Freshman Nicole Beck injured her ankle during her singles match, which may have inhibited her performance.
""[The injury] totally affected her mobility and her ability to play her game because she's very good at taking her offense out of defense,' Henderson said. ""[Iowa] was a good team, and we had a couple of situations ... during the match. It was a very difficult match.""
Sophomore Kaylan Caiati extended her current winning streak to 9-0 on Saturday against Lindsay Risebrough of Minnesota. A tough match-up brought the streak to an end on Sunday. Her nine-game winning streak was the longest of any Badger this season.
Senior Katie McGaffigan pulled out with a singles win after a close match against Hawkeye sophomore Meg Racette. Racette took the first set, yet McGaffigan answered back by taking the second. McGaffigan took the third match 8-6 for the win.
""It was a long match, and I've lost a couple close ones so it's nice to finally pull some out for once,"" McGaffigan said.
No. 91 McGaffigan was among the three Badgers to go 2-0 this weekend in singles play. Burke, Nusslock, and McGaffigan all came away with undefeated on the weekend.
This weekend was the first of the outdoor matches for Wisconsin. In addition to adjustments in doubles combinations, the team must also adjust to the new environment.
""It's tough coming out,"" McGaffigan said. ""It's our first home outdoor matches, so we're all getting used to the wind and sun and stuff.""
The team plans to focus on solidifying the doubles team patterns and set-ups to gain more confidence for the remainder of the season.
""We're just building confidence and getting ready for the Big Ten Tournament,"" McGaffigan said.
Henderson has confidence in the team's experience and their ability to rebound from the loss.
""They are pretty experienced players and I feel good about them as a team and they just have to adjust a couple of
