Wisconsin Badgers
Penn State
Five Things to Know: Badgers play on the Big Ten road
March 28, 2023 | Men's Tennis
Wisconsin visits No. 73 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's tennis team is onto their second weekend of Big Ten Conference play, taking a road trip to play a pair of matches at No. 73 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State. The Badgers (8-6, 1-1 B1G) take on the Nittany Lions (13-6, 0-2 B1G) on Friday at 5 p.m. CT from Sarni Tennis Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. On Sunday, Wisconsin faces its toughest competition of the season as it takes on the Buckeyes (19-2, 2-0 B1G) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT from Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Here are five things you should know before this weekend's matches:
1. B1G Beginnings: The Badgers had a tough Big Ten opening weekend this season, hosting No. 5 Michigan and No. 74 Michigan State at Nielsen. Wisconsin put up a heck of a fight versus both teams, coming away with a split weekend going 1-1. Against Michigan, UW put on a show in doubles play, picking up the first point of the match after wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. They ultimately went on to lose to the Wolverines, 5-2, but not without giving them some tough competition. Wisconsin continued their doubles success streak against Michigan State, earning its sixth doubles point in a row and its 12th of the season. The Badgers played their way to a 5-2 win over the Spartans, putting them at 1-1 in Big Ten play.
2. Mighty Minasyan: Michael Minasyan, the feisty freshman, had impressive success in singles play last weekend. He recorded a pair of quick two-set victories in his matches with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Michigan's Bjorn Swenson at No. 6 singles and a 6-4, 6-4 win over Michigan State's Graydon Lair at No. 5 singles. Minasyan was the lone Badger to walk away from the match against Michigan with a singles win, leaving him undefeated in Big Ten singles play so far this season and earning him the first two conference wins of his career. Minasyan has won nine total singles matches this season, the second highest of the team, and has played the entire season with partner Gabriel Huber at No. 1 doubles.
3. Know the Opponents: The Penn State Nittany Lions are 13-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The No. 73-ranked team in the country is coming off of two 4-0 losses to No. 21 Illinois and No. 23 Northwestern but has also tallied five shutout wins so far this season. Penn State and Wisconsin have had two common opponents thus far in Princeton and Penn. The Nittany Lions defeated Princeton, 4-3, but lost to Penn, 4-2, while the Badgers beat both teams -- Princeton 4-3 and Penn 6-1.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the No. 2-ranked team in the country, boasting a 19-2 overall record and are undefeated, 2-0, in Big Ten play. They defeated No. 23 Northwestern, 4-1, and No. 21 Illinois, 4-0, last weekend. Both of the Buckeyes' losses this season have come at the hands of top-10 teams, No. 7 Texas (4-3) and No. 5 South Carolina (4-1). OSU is currently at the top of the Big Ten standings and beat No. 5 Michigan earlier this season, 4-2, whom the Badgers lost to last weekend. Ohio State has five singles players and three doubles teams in the current ITA rankings.
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 are back at home for a pair of Indiana-based opponents. They host the Purdue Boilermakers April 7 at 4 p.m. and the Indiana Hoosiers April 9 at noon at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
Players Mentioned
