Badgers Drop Deciding Set in Tennessee

The Wisconsin men's tennis program finished the weekend with a split decision, posting a home victory before suffering a narrow defeat on the road.

The Badgers defeated Pennsylvania 6-1 on Friday afternoon at Nielsen Tennis Center. This result marked the first time in program history that Wisconsin defeated the Quakers. The previous meeting ended in a 4-3 loss for the Badgers. Wisconsin took the doubles point first. Senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin won 6-1, extending their unbeaten season as a pair. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton added a 6-2 victory to secure the point. The team won four of the five singles matches. Freimuth won 6-2 and 6-3. Colton, Soyfer, and Dodridge also won in straight sets. O'Hoisin won 7-5, 4-6, and 10-2 to complete the sweep.

Wisconsin traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders entered the match with a 10-2 record. They had not lost at home this season and had shut out five opponents. Wisconsin took the doubles point. O'Hoisin and Dodridge defeated Chris Edge and Tom Moonen 6-4. Senior Chema Carranza and Freimuth beat Glan Issa and Jan Porteset 6-2. Soyfer won his singles match 6-4 and 6-3, improving his personal record to 10-0.

Middle Tennessee State won the next three singles matches to take a 3-2 lead. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6 and 6-1 victory. The result hinged on the No. 2 singles match between Carranza and Moonen. Carranza lost the first set in a 7-6 tiebreak. He won the second set 6-1. Carranza held a 5-4 lead in the third set. Moonen won the final game to take the set 7-5 and clinch the match for the Blue Raiders.

The Badgers stand at 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten. They remain without a road win this season. Head coach Danny Westerman told UWBadgers.com that the loss was difficult for the team. He stated, "This one stings. We need to keep working. We put ourselves in these situations so we can eventually get over the hump."

Wisconsin will return to Nielsen Tennis Center next weekend. The team is scheduled for a Sunday doubleheader against Cornell and UW-Green Bay.