MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's tennis team (5-4) is back at home this Thursday to host in-state rival Marquette (0-8) for a 5:30 pm match before traveling for a Saturday match at Drake (7-5). First serve is at noon from Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
Here are five things you should know before this weekend:
1. Badgers in the Rankings: The Badgers got some team recognition in the latest ITA Collegiate rankings, coming in as the 49th-ranked team in the country. The team was previously unranked. Wisconsin has three wins over teams in the latest top-75 rankings—Virginia Tech (54), Princeton (69), and Yale (70). The Badgers are also represented in the rankings by doubles duo Gabriel Huber and Michael Minasyan, the 28th-ranked doubles team in the country.
2. Sebastian with the moves: Senior Sebastian Vile got recognized this past week on social media for a fancy between-the-legs lob to win a game in his match versus Princeton. Cracked Racquets named this highlight No. 1 on their ITA tennis CR Top 10 moments countdown. Other than showing off fancy moves on the court, Vile has proven to be consistent with a 7-2 overall singles record so far this season. His two losses were against Auburn and Notre Dame, both in three-set matches. He'll look to add to his win record this week versus Marquette and Drake.
3. Know the Opponent: The Marquette Golden Eagles are 0-8 overall so far this season, most of their losses ending by close margins, including a 4-3 loss to North Dakota in early February. They have only been swept one time this season, a 7-0 loss to Drake at their season-opening match. The last time the Badgers matched up against the Golden Eagles was last season with the Badgers coming out on top, 6-1.
The Drake Bulldogs are 7-5 overall this season, including a 6-1 home record, which the Badgers will try to put a dent in. Their record includes four impressive sweeps over opponents—Creighton (7-0), Marquette (7-0), DePaul (4-0), and Purdue (7-0). Drake's losses include three fellow Big Team teams--Illinois, Michigan State, and Nebraska. The last series matchup for Drake and Wisconsin was last season, ending in a 4-3 win for Wisconsin at home.
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 men's tennis schedule page on UWBadgers.com.
5. Up Next: The Badgers have a bit of a break before taking a Spring Break trip to San Diego, California, where they will take on San Diego State for a match at 4 p.m. on March 15.
