When Greg Van Emburgh took over the reigns of the Wisconsin men's tennis program late last summer, he knew he was stepping into a work in progress.
Still, the first year head coach, who last year was coaching at the University of Kentucky, has embraced the challenge and put the Badgers on the path toward success while taking his lumps in the Big Ten conference.
Definitely has been a challenge but it has been good so far,\ Van Emburgh said. ""Going into this I knew it was going to take some time, but we set some goals at the start of the season and we now have a group of guys that I am proud of and enjoy playing tennis for us.""
The group mentioned lacks a single senior on the seven-man roster and features five true sophomores. The age cluster made it difficult for one single person to emerge as the leader.
""We have a young bunch of guys who are equal in age and it is tough when every one is equal in age and trying to be a leader.""
Though the Badgers will likely need to run the table at the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Minneapolis, which would include a quarterfinals battle against top-seeded Ohio State, the play of sophomores Nolan Polley and Jeremy Sonkin have earned the praise of Van Emburgh.
""I expect next year that [Sonkin] will start in the rankings in the top 50 and so will Nolan Polley,"" he said.
Polley, who recently upset 38th-ranked Bryan Koniecko of Ohio State Sunday has complied a 8-2 record in his first season with UW and has complimented Sonkin well at No. 2 singles.
Meanwhile, Sonkin finished the regular season at 6-4, but consistently drew some of the nation's best competition playing in the top singles spot all year for UW.
""He has played real well and real hard all year,"" Van Emburgh said. ""Jeremy has played tough for us.""
It appears with the talented young group of sophomores set to return next year, the future looks bright for Van Emburgh's group.
""We signed some top guys next year,"" Van Emburgh said. ""The program is going in the right direction and is on the rise and this has been a fun year for me.""
One the players expected to contribute immediately is two-time defending state champion Michael Dierberger from Nicolet High School. One of the top players in the Midwest, Dierberger is part of a Knights program that has dominated tennis is Wisconsin the past three years.
But the future will be put on hold as UW is focused on their remaining matches, starting with Purdue Thursday morning. If they win, they will meet Ohio State for the second time in less than a week.
""We are going to play loose and with nothing to lose even though it is going to be a tough task to beat them,"" Van Emburgh said.
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