Wisconsin Badgers
Virginia Tech
Five Things to Know: Badgers hit the road
January 24, 2023 | Men's Tennis
Badgers travel to Virginia for two road matches
MADISON, Wis. — After a perfect 2-0 opening weekend at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, the Wisconsin men's tennis team hits the road for the first time this season and travels to Virginia for a pair of non-conference matches. UW (2-0) plays Virginia Tech (2-0) in a neutral match on Saturday at noon CT in Norfolk, Virginia. On Sunday, the Badgers play at Old Dominion (3-1) at 10 a.m. CT.
Here are five things you should know before this weekend:
1. PERFECT WEEKEND: The Badgers recorded an undefeated opening weekend to start the season with two exciting matches at Nielsen. On Friday, UW dominated DePaul in an impressive 6-1 win, improving upon last season's match where it rallied against the Blue Demons for a 4-3 win. Wisconsin came out on top in five singles matches and two doubles matches to best DePaul.
On Saturday, Princeton gave the Badgers a run for their money. After Wisconsin secured a 3-0 lead, the Tigers came fighting back, tying it up 3-3 when it all came down to junior Mihailo Popovic at No. 2 singles. He won his match in exciting fashion—securing the win in a third-set tiebreaker after dropping the first set.
2. DOMINATING DOUBLES: Doubles play for the Badgers so far this season has been stellar on all fronts. In both opening weekend matches, Wisconsin was able to secure the doubles point without dropping a single match. Robin Parts and Sebastian Vile, the veteran pair on the team, went 2-0 on the weekend, beating their DePaul competition 6-4 and Princeton 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. At No. 3 doubles, Jason Hildebrandt and Jared Pratt, the graduate student duo, clinched the doubles point versus DePaul by claiming a 6-3 victory and got the ball rolling for the other pairs by recording the first doubles win of the match against Princeton, 6-2. Both of Gabriel Huber and Michael Minasyan's matches went unfinished, but the ITA Regional Doubles Champions were solid nonetheless, finishing their matches 5-2 and 4-5.
3. KNOW THE OPPONENT: The Virginia Tech Hokies are 2-0 on the season after hosting Queens (Charlotte) and James Madison last weekend at their home court in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Hokies dominated both matches, coming out with 6-1 wins in both instances. Virginia Tech was able to clinch both doubles points over the weekend with their only losses coming at No. 2 singles against Queens and No. 3 singles versus James Madison.
The Badgers will compete against the Old Dominion Monarchs for the first time in program history. The Monarchs are 3-1 overall on the season, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Pennsylvania last weekend. They have two close wins under their belt, defeating Presbyterian College and Georgetown University 4-3 during their opening weekend at home. Their most recent win was a 6-1 defeat of Drexel University on the road.
4. FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live updates on the Badgers can be found on Twitter (@BadgerMTennis) and Instagram (@wisconsintennis), while live scoring/streaming will be linked from the HERE.
5. UP NEXT: The Badgers return home to take on Western Michigan on Feb. 3 and Yale Feb. 5 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
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