5 Things to Know: It’s time to shine

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin (4-4) entertains Marquette (4-1) before focusing on Minnesota (3-3) and the start of Big Ten play.

Who/Where/When?: Wisconsin plays host to in-state rival Marquette on Thursday night at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. First serve is at 6 p.m. (CT). Fans are invited to enjoy free pizza as part of the dual match. The Badgers are then afforded a couple days off before the Big Ten season kicks off in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Gophers. Wisconsin will face Minnesota at noon on Sunday.

Soyfer so sweet: Sophomore Daniel Soyfer stands as the lone Badger to showcase a perfect record in the spring season. Soyfer moved up to the No. 3 spot in matches against Green Bay and Oregon, but felt no pressure with the rise of competition and earned wins in both. The Plantation, Florida, native, could arguably have improved his record a tally more, as he was a point from capturing the match against No. 13 Mississippi State's Trevor Foshey before it was ended prematurely. Soyfer has changed doubles partners quite a bit this season. The change doesn't seem to affect him, marking an 8-1 record in the doubles category in the spring.

Scouting Marquette: The Marquette Golden Eagles are soaring in the Big East to start their season. Marquette is 4-1 overall, with the only loss being to Big Ten foe Iowa in shutout fashion, 7-0. The Golden Eagles bounced back nicely, boasting a four game win-streak going into Thursday's match. Wisconsin showcases a pristine record against Marquette, with an impeccable 53-2-1 overall record. The Badgers are 34-1-1 at home. The Cardinal and White faced Marquette a year ago and won convincingly, 7-0.

Scouting Minnesota: Minnesota's early-season standing is very much up in the air. The Gophers are an even 3-3 on the year, winning matches over Tennessee, Sacramento State, and Rice, but dropping affairs to Notre Dame, Dartmouth, and North Carolina State. Minnesota comes off a 17-11 record a year ago, including a 5-6 conference mark. It was a quite a thriller between the Badgers and the Gophers a season ago at the Nielsen. Then-junior Josef Dodridge played the match of the season to give Wisconsin the dual win and a boost going into the remainder of its conference schedule. Wisconsin and Minnesota are very even in the all-time record, with the Gophers owning a 64-56-3 edge in over 100 matches played.

Down not out: Wisconsin dropped its first doubles point of the season last weekend against the Oregon Ducks en-route to a 5-2 road loss. However, the Badgers bounced back nicely and seemed to be in old form against Washington a few days later. The Cardinal and White captured the doubles point to round out an impressive 7-1 record in team doubles on the year.

How to follow: Follow Wisconsin men's tennis on twitter (@BadgerMTennis) to get live updates. As always, follow the team on uwbadgers.com to stay up with the latest in Badger Tennis.

University of Wisconsin Athletics

5 Things to Know: It’s time to shine

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Josef Dodridge

Daniel Soyfer

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