Wisconsin Tennis Extends Home Dominance But Fails to Break Road Win Drought

The Wisconsin men's tennis program concluded a split weekend with a loss to Middle Tennessee State on Saturday. This defeat keeps the Badgers without a single road victory this season. They returned home on Friday to defeat Pennsylvania 6-1, but that win did not alter their difficult travel record.

The team currently holds an overall record of 6-6. Within the Big Ten conference, their mark stands at 0-1. The recent results highlight a distinct performance gap between home and away contests. The squad has yet to secure a win on the road since the season began.

Friday's match at Nielsen Tennis Center featured a historic first. Wisconsin had never beaten Pennsylvania in program history. Last year's meeting ended in a 4-3 loss for the Badgers. Senior Josef Dodridge and junior Osgar O'Hoisin claimed the doubles point with a 6-1 win. Sophomores Daniel Soyfer and Chase Colton added a 6-2 victory to solidify the lead.

The singles matches followed the same trajectory. Colton, Soyfer, and Dodridge all won in straight sets. Freshman Jesper Freimuth also took his match in straight sets with scores of 6-2 and 6-3. O'Hoisin required three sets to finish the job, winning 7-5, 4-6, and 10-2.

The trip to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, presented a tougher challenge. Middle Tennessee State enters the match with a 10-2 record. The Blue Raiders had not lost at home and had already shut out five opponents this season. Wisconsin started strong, winning the doubles point through wins by O'Hoisin and Dodridge, and Carranza and Freimuth. Soyfer also took his singles match, improving his personal record to 10-0.

Middle Tennessee State rallied to take a 3-2 lead in singles. Dodridge tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6, 6-1 win. The deciding point fell to senior Chema Carranza. He lost the first set 6-7 but won the second 6-1. Leading 5-4 in the third set, Carranza was unable to hold the advantage. Tom Moonen closed out the match 7-5 for the Blue Raiders.

Head coach Danny Westerman noted the emotional impact of the loss. He stated, "This one stings. We need to keep working. We put ourselves in these situations so we can eventually get over the hump." The team returns to Nielsen Tennis Center next weekend. They are scheduled for a Sunday doubleheader against Cornell and UW-Green Bay.