For head coach Patti Henderson and the Wisconsin women's tennis team (0-10 Big Ten, 4-16 overall), the time to rise to the occasion is now as the team prepares for the 2007 Big Ten Championship Thursday in Minneapolis. The Badgers are seeded 11th and will take on the Purdue Boilermakers, the six seed, in their first-round matchup.
Despite a winless record in the Big Ten, the Badgers have stayed highly competitive in the conference lately, losing their last five conference matchups by a tight score of 4-3. Henderson said she is impressed with the team's work ethic and resiliency.
""They're teaching me some things, which are great because I've suffered a few times,"" Henderson said. ""I'm like ... ‘how much longer is this going to happen?' And they're there, and they're ready. Every time we step on the court, we believe we're going to get it done. And time and time again, we keep getting knocked down. But each time, we stand up, we're ready to fight, and we're ready to play.""
One of the Badgers' more impressive Big Ten performances came in their last matchup against the Boilermakers, a 4-3 loss at Nielsen Tennis Stadium March 31. UW won its first doubles point of the conference season, led by an 8-3 victory at the No. 1 seed by senior Caitlin Burke and sophomore Liz Carpenter over the Boilermakers' tandem of Mallory Voelker and Brooke Beier.
Burke added to her outstanding performance by making her first return to singles play since Feb. 1 and beating Mallory Voelker 7-6, 6-3 in No. 1 singles. Burke has won five of her last six singles matches and ranks No. 31 in the country. Burke finished with a 10-2 record in dual matches in her senior season for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's hot streak has also taken form in doubles play. The team was won five of its last six doubles points and Caitlin Burke and Liz Carpenter have shown excellent chemistry at the No. 1 seed, as they enter the Big Ten Championship riding a six-game winning streak. The duo has an 11-2 record, best in the Big Ten for No. 1 doubles, and a No. 56 ranking in the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Coach Henderson is hopeful that all of these recent streaks and positive play translate into a feeling of success for the Badgers.
""We talk every day about what's a winner, and what are the qualities of a winner, and just always putting yourself in the line of fire, and they're doing that every single time,"" Henderson said. ""And at some point, that's going to turn.""
Wisconsin also has the other side going in its favor, as Purdue has lost six of its eight previous matches. Whether the Badgers win or lose Thursday, Henderson is impressed with the team considering the countless setbacks it has faced this season.
""Whether [it] happens Thursday, whether [it] happens next year, they've improved, and they've gotten better,"" she said.
Thursday's match begins at noon, and the winner goes on to play Michigan, the No. 3 seed at 2 p.m.
