The Wisconsin men's tennis team will open its 2007 season Saturday when it hosts Butler and Northern Illinois at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The action begins when the Badgers take on Butler at 10 a.m. The match against Northern Illinois is set to begin at 3 p.m.
After struggling the past few seasons, this year's Badgers are poised to make a bigger impact in the Big Ten. Head coach Greg Van Emburgh's squad showed promise in the fall season after finishing eighth in the Big Ten in 2006, and the team will look to carry that success into the spring season.
""Everybody's excited and ready to start playing,"" Van Emburgh said. ""We will be looking to start off 1-0 after the match with Butler, and then to take that momentum with us against Northern Illinois."" Wisconsin holds a combined 27-2 all time record against Saturday's opponents. UW beat both teams 7-0 in Madison last spring.
The Badgers return a core of key players from last season, highlighted by junior Jeremy Sonkin. Sonkin finished 25-11 last season, and earned the third seed in the Big Ten singles tournament. He will once again return to his role in the Badgers No. 1 singles spot.
Also returning to the Badgers is junior Nolan Polley, who led the team with a 30-10 record last season, which included a 9-2 mark in the Big Ten. He advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten singles tournament, and he will give the promising Badgers a solid No. 2 option.
Joining Sonkin and Polley is the team captain, senior Lachezar Kasarov. Kasarov won a career high 21 matches last season, nearly doubling his previous high of 12. He will give the Badgers veteran leadership from the No.3 or No. 4 spot.
Also returning for the Badgers is junior Felipe Bellido, who rattled off four straight wins in the Big Ten fall tournament to reach the consolation final. Freshman Michael Dierberger accomplished the same feat, and he should be a valuable addition this spring.
Junior Phippen Brennen, sophomore Gian Hodgson, and freshmen Moritz Baumann and Michael Muskievicz round out the roster.
