It has been a tale of two seasons thus far for the Wisconsin men’s tennis team (4-4) as through eight games, the Badgers sit at .500.
Unlike the frigid temperatures that have gripped the UW-Madison campus for much of February, the Badgers have been red-hot when playing in Madison and they have a flawless 4-0 home record to show for it.
It has been a vastly different story for the team when not in the friendly confines of Nielsen Tennis Center, where they have yet to win a match this season. That streak continued this past weekend on the west coast where the Badgers lost two matches against Oregon and Washington, two tough teams with highly ranked players. The team also failed to win the doubles point for the first time this season against Oregon, although they rebounded nicely in the match verses Washington.
The Badgers possess one of the elite doubles pairs in the nation, with seniors Chema Carranza and Josef Dodridge ranked third in the nation, although the pair has not always played together as of late. In singles, sophomore Daniel Soyfer will look to continue his remarkable run, as he is the only Badger who has yet to lose a match so far this season.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, it won’t have to worry about it troubles away from home Thursday night when it welcomes its in-state rival Marquette (5-1) to town.
Not only are the Badgers given a boost by returning home, but they also have history on their side against the Golden Eagles. Wisconsin owns a commanding 53-2-1 record against Marquette, including a 7-0 thrashing when the two programs met last year.
Marquette will surely be looking to reverse these trends Thursday night. The Golden Eagles have reasons of their own to feel confident, as they arrive in Madison on a five-game winning streak and an impressive record of 5-1. Just like the Badgers however, Marquette has yet to win away from their home courts.
The two rivals will take to the courts Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Nielsen Tennis Center.
