Wisconsin tennis splits weekend with Penn win, MTSU loss

Wisconsin men's tennis players faced a split result this weekend. They defeated Pennsylvania at home before dropping a close contest at Middle Tennessee State. The Badgers improved to 6-6 overall but remain 0-1 in Big Ten play. They have yet to secure a road victory this season.

The team last faced Pennsylvania a year ago and lost 4-3. This was the first time in program history that Wisconsin had a chance to beat the Quakers. On Friday afternoon at Nielsen Tennis Center, the Badgers won 6-1 against the 4-7 Penn squad. Senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin won the opening doubles match 6-1. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton followed with a 6-2 victory. In singles, Colton, Soyfer, Dodridge, and freshman Jesper Freimuth all won in straight sets. O'Hoisin closed the match with a three-set win of 7-5, 4-6, 10-2.

The Badgers then traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to play Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders held a 10-2 record and had not lost at home. Wisconsin took the doubles point. O'Hoisin and Dodridge beat Chris Edge and Tom Moonen 6-4. Chema Carranza and Freimuth defeated Glan Issa and Jan Porteset 6-2. Soyfer won his singles match 6-4, 6-3 to reach 10-0 in individual play this season.

Middle Tennessee State won the next three singles matches to take a 3-2 lead. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6, 6-1 victory. The outcome rested on the final singles match between Carranza and Moonen. Carranza lost the first set in a tiebreak but won the second 6-1. He led the deciding set 5-4. Moonen won the next three points to take the set 7-5 and the match for the Blue Raiders.

Head coach Danny Westerman noted the loss would help the team improve. "This one stings. We need to keep working. We put ourselves in these situations so we can eventually get over the hump," Westerman told UWBadgers.com.

Wisconsin returns to Nielsen Tennis Center next weekend. The team will play a Sunday doubleheader against Cornell and UW-Green Bay.