Badgers split weekend with Penn sweep and late Tennessee loss

The Wisconsin men's tennis team entered the weekend with a 5-6 record and no victories away from campus. They left with a 6-6 mark, having secured a decisive win over a longtime rival before falling short in a tight match in Tennessee.

On Friday, the Badgers hosted Pennsylvania at Nielsen Tennis Center. The Quakers, who were 4-7, had defeated Wisconsin in every previous meeting in program history. The Badgers erased that streak with a 6-1 victory. Senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin started the win with a 6-1 doubles result, keeping their season perfect as a pair. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton followed with a 6-2 win. In singles, Colton, Soyfer, Dodridge, and freshman Jesper Freimuth all won in straight sets. O'Hoisin closed the match with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-2 victory.

The team then traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face Middle Tennessee State, who were 10-2 and had not lost at home this season. The Badgers won the doubles point, with Dodridge and O'Hoisin defeating Chris Edge and Tom Moonen 6-4, and Chema Carranza and Freimuth beating Glan Issa and Jan Porteset 6-2. Soyfer added a 6-4, 6-3 singles win to extend his personal record to 10-0 for the year.

Middle Tennessee State won the next three singles points to take a 3-2 lead. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 by winning 7-6 and 6-1. The outcome hinged on the final singles match between Carranza and Tom Moonen.

Carranza lost the first set in a tiebreak and won the second 6-1. He led 5-4 in the deciding set, but Moonen closed it out 7-5 to give the Blue Raiders the win. Head coach Danny Westerman said the loss was difficult but necessary for growth. He noted that the team needs to continue working to overcome these challenges, adding that putting themselves in these situations allows them to eventually succeed.

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