Wisconsin tennis splits weekend after Penn win, MTSU loss

The Wisconsin men’s tennis team finished the weekend with a split result, securing a victory over Pennsylvania before dropping a tight match at Middle Tennessee State. The Badgers now hold a 6-6 overall record and a 0-1 mark in the Big Ten Conference. They remain without a win on the road this season.

Wisconsin had never defeated Pennsylvania in program history prior to Friday. The two teams met last year, with Wisconsin falling 4-3. On Friday afternoon at the Nielsen Tennis Center, the Badgers changed that history by winning 6-1 against the 4-7 Quakers.

Wisconsin took the doubles point early. Senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin, the No. 1 pair, won 6-1 to extend their unbeaten streak as a duo. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton added a 6-2 victory to complete the doubles sweep. In singles, Colton, Soyfer, and Dodridge won in straight sets. Freshman Jesper Freimuth added a 6-2, 6-3 win. O'Hoisin required three sets, closing with a 10-2 tiebreak after winning the first set 7-5 and losing the second 4-6.

The team traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face 10-2 Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders had not lost at home this season and had shut out five opponents. Wisconsin started strong, with O'Hoisin and Dodridge beating Chris Edge and Tom Moonen 6-4 in doubles. Senior Chema Carranza and Freimuth then defeated Glan Issa and Jan Porteset 6-2 to secure the doubles point. In singles, Soyfer won 6-4, 6-3, improving his seasonal singles record to 10-0.

Middle Tennessee State answered with wins in the next three singles matches to take a 3-2 lead. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6, 6-1 victory. The final match between Carranza and Moonen at No. 2 singles determined the result. Carranza lost the first set 6-7 in a tiebreak but won the second 6-1. He led 5-4 in the deciding set, but Moonen won the final game to give the Blue Raiders the victory.

Head coach Danny Westerman acknowledged the difficulty of the loss. He told UWBadgers.com, "This one stings. We need to keep working. We put ourselves in these situations so we can eventually get over the hump."

Wisconsin returns to the Nielsen Tennis Center next weekend for a Sunday doubleheader against Cornell and UW-Green Bay.