The men’s tennis team matched up against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Nielson Tennis Stadium over the weekend. This was the men’s fifth straight matchup on the road this season. The Bucs lost 4-2 against the Badgers when the Badgers got an early advantage by sweeping the Bucs in doubles competition.
“Our schedule right now is very challenging which will help us to see where we stand and what are the things we need to improve on,” said Head Coach Martin Stiegwardt.
Junior David Gonzalez (Barcelona, Spain) earned a win to put the Bucs back into play. Sophomore Juan Lugo (Maracay, Venezuela) then gained a win to tie the match, 7-6,6-3. Freshman Frazier Rengifo (Cali, Columbia) helped the Bucs gain another set but lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Sophomore Miguel Este (Caracus, Venezuela) played a hard match but lost 2-6,7-6 (8-6), 6-0. Senior Robert Herrera (Barcelona, Spain) was in the middle of a three-set struggle but Wisconsin gained the victory against the Bucs.
The Bucs early season record stands at 2-3. The Bucs have yet to play a conference team. With a challenging schedule, the Bucs should come out a better team as the season goes on.
“We are putting ourselves in a tough spot playing a lot of good teams at their place but that is the best for us to improve,” said Stiegwardt.
Still early in the season, the Bucs look to win conference and go to the NCAA. It will be a big challenge for the Bucs with half of the team and coaching staff being new.
Stigwardt said, “We have a lot to prove and a lot of teams in the conference are going to come after us this season.”
The Bucs have a good attitude when it comes to the season ahead. They play two early games this weekend against VCU and William and Mary.
