No Losses for Badgers After Weekend Sweep

Wisconsin's women's tennis players closed out Saturday by taking both halves of their scheduled doubleheader, and doing so by matching 7-0 scores. First they defeated Bradley, then they shut out Green Bay. The two results leave the Badgers with a 6-0 mark.

That start is the program's best since the 1992 season. In the Green Bay contest, the opposing roster held only five available players, and they were unable to stay with Wisconsin.

The Badgers took control early by sweeping both doubles matches. MaryAnn Rompf and Kelsey Grambeau defeated Theresa Tebon and Tallie Piaskowski 6-1, and Melissa Pick and Lexi Keberle then beat Maria Neff and Samm Pedersen 6-0.

Singles play followed a similar script, with no Badgers player losing a set. Lexi Keberle, playing first singles, topped Theresa Tebon 6-1, 6-1. She remains undefeated across both singles and doubles, sitting at a combined record of 7-0.

The rest of the lineup rolled as well. Michelle Linden beat Sterre Tijssens 6-1, 6-0 in the third singles slot. Melissa Pick blanked Maria Neff 6-0, 6-0, while Christina Zordani downed Samm Pedersen 6-0, 6-1 to push her singles mark to 5-0.

Head coach Kelcy McKenna pointed to elements the team can govern directly. "They did a great job with the controlables: their attitude, their effort and their energy," McKenna said. "Those three things are extremely important to our success."

Even at 6-0, McKenna is asking her players to tighten up in specific areas, particularly doubles. "We need to do a little bit of a better job cleaning up our doubles in terms of serves and returns, making sure that we're the first team to be aggressive, also making sure we're hitting our spots on service plays," she said. She also wants the team to carry a doubles advantage into singles rather than surrender ground. "We have to make sure as we move into singles, if we do have the doubles point, that we carry the momentum with us and try to be gritty and not give away free points," McKenna said.

To keep this pace, McKenna wants her players focused on small details during daily drills and match simulations. The Badgers are set to host the National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 9-12, where they will look to keep their unbeaten run going.