Feb. 20, 2010
MADISON, Wis. - After defeating three ranked opponents this season, Wisconsin fell 5-2 to No. 41-ranked Texas Tech at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
"They're a little under-ranked right now," Head Coach Greg Van Emburgh said. "But at the end of the day they're a top 20, top 25 team and you want that competition at the end of the season."
The No. 26-ranked Badgers never found their momentum in doubles, losing the three doubles matches to the Red Raiders.
Wisconsin rallied back in singles with a win at the No. 3 position from 73rd-ranked Patrick Pohlmann. The UW sophomore easily took out Rafael Garcia 6-0, 6-2.
The Badgers also saw a win from No. 22nd-ranked Marek Michalicka. The UW senior played his heart out in a three-setter which resulted in an upset against No. 41 Gonzalo Escobar. Michalicka endured the first set, beating Escobar 7-6 (5) in the tiebreak. The Badger fell 4-6 in the second, but regained his strength in the third, taking out Escobar 1-0.
Despite these two singles wins, the Red Raiders caught the Badgers off guard as they faced losses at the No. 4, 5, and 6 positions. No. 7-ranked Moritz Baumann also suffered a loss at the No. 1 position to No. 63-ranked Raony Carvalho. Although he battled through the match, the UW senior eventually lost the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Michalicka and senior Michael Dierberger remain the only two undefeated Badgers in singles play.
Wisconsin looks to bounce back when they face No. 17-ranked Texas A&M. Match play begins at noon (CT) in College Station, Texas.
In preparation for Texas A&M, the Badgers learned from today and are ready for another tough match tomorrow.
"We can execute a little better when we have opportunities and take some chances when we're in positions to win games," Van Emburgh said.
Check back to uwbadgers.com for complete match results.
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By Megan S. Kelley
Wisconsin Athletic Communications
#41 Texas Tech 5, #26 Wisconsin 2
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
Doubles (order of finish: 2, 3, 1)
1. Carvalho/Garcia (TTU) def. Baumann/Michalicka (UW), 8-5
2. #16 Escobar/Stabile (TTU) def. Pohlmann/Chris Freeman (UW), 8-3
3. Manzini/Pfister (TTU) def. Michael Dierberger/Rassow-Kanter (UW), 8-3
Singles (order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2)
1. #63 Raony Carvalho (TTU) def. #7 Moritz Baumann (UW), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
2. #22 Marek Michalicka (UW) def. #41 Gonzalo Escobar (TTU), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 1-0
3. #73 Patrick Pohlmann (UW) def. Rafael Garcia (TTU), 6-0, 6-2
4. Andre Stabile (TTU) def. Billy Bertha (UW), 6-4, 6-2
5. Vitor Manzini (TTU) def. Luke Rassow-Kantor (UW), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
6. Raphael Pfister (TTU) def. Ricardo Martin (UW), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
