Wildcats Edged by Badgers, 4-3, in Madison

3/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

March 27, 2011

Complete Results

Site: Madison, Wis. (A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center)
Score: Wisconsin 4, No. 70 Northwestern 3
Records: NU (9-7, 0-2 Big Ten), Wisconsin (7-8, 1-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Saturday, April 2 vs. No. 5 Ohio State • Evanston, Ill. • Noon

MADISON, Wis. -- Completing a challenging Big Ten road trip, No. 70 Northwestern worked to gain a 3-1 lead on host Wisconsin Sunday afternoon but ultimately fell by a 4-3 decision at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center in Madison. The 'Cats pulled out a trio of tight doubles outcomes only to have the Badgers turn the tables in singles play.

Sophomore Spencer Wolf and junior Tobias Reitz each claimed singles victories in the loss.

"This was a tough college tennis match between two good Big Ten teams, but Wisconsin was just a little tougher down the stretch," said head coach Arvid Swan. "We showed a lot of poise to hold on to win some tight doubles matches but we weren't able to pull out some third sets."

After Wolf and Joshua Graves claimed a 9-7 win at the No. 1 doubles spot over Marek Michalicka and Ricardo Martin, they were left to watch the No. 2 and 3 matches head into a tiebreaker. The Wildcats were the ones winning big points in those extra sessions, as the tandems of Andrew McCarthy and Tobias Reitz as well as Chris Jackman and Raleigh Smith each won by 7-2 scores in the breakers.

It was Northwestern's first doubles sweep of a Big Ten opponent since April 18, 2010, when they did so against Iowa -- the only time last season they turned the trick.

Northwestern then got off to a 2-0 lead thanks to a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles by Spencer Wolf over Ricardo Martin. After Billy Bertha put the Badgers on the board with a win at No. 3, Reitz put Northwestern on the brink of victory when he gutted out a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over Rodney Carney at No. 4.

Northwestern's three remaining players on the courts had each responded to first-set losses to take the second set and put themselves in position to close out a Wildcat victory. But after Jackman and Smith suffered 6-2 losses in their respective third sets on the No. 5 and 6 lines, No. 114 Joshua Graves lost by an identical score in his third set to 72nd-ranked Marek Michalicka at No. 1 as Wisconsin escaped with the win.

NU's schedule does not get any easier as the Wildcats welcome No. 5 Ohio State to Evanston at noon on Saturday, April 2.

Wisconsin 4, No. 70 Northwestern 3
Singles:
1: #72 Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. #114 Joshua Graves (NU), 7-6, 5-7, 6-2
2: Spencer Wolf (NU) def. Ricardo Martin (WIS), 6-3, 6-2
3: Billy Bertha (WIS) def. Andrew McCarthy (NU), 6-3, 6-2
4: Tobias Reitz (NU) def. Rodney Carney (WIS), 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
5: Petr Satral (WIS) def. Chris Jackman (NU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
6: Fredrik Ask (WIS) def. Raleigh Smith (NU), 7-6, 2-6, 6-2

Doubles:
1: Graves/Wolf (NU) def. Michalicka/Martin (WIS), 9-7
2: McCarthy/Reitz (NU) def Ask/Satral (WIS), 9-8 (7-2)
3: Jackman/Smith (NU) def. Bertha/Carey (WIS), 9-8 (7-2)

Order of Finish:
Singles (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1*) Doubles (1, 2*, 3)

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!