The University of Wisconsin men’s tennis team will attempt to show once again this evening they are indeed the best squad in Wisconsin. Following a weekend in which the No. 31-ranked Wisconsin men’s tennis team knocked off opponents UW-Green Bay and UW-Whitewater the squad will head to Milwaukee tonight to take on undefeated Marquette.

The Badgers currently have 11 straight victories over the Golden Eagles and in the history of the rivalry own a 44-2-1 record. Overall against in-state competition, the Wisconsin men’s tennis program is an impressive 89-2-1. For the spring season, Wisconsin is 4-0 after downing Butler 6-1 Saturday and then Northern Illinois 5-2 Sunday. Leading the way for the Badgers were junior Moritz Baumann and sophomore Marek Michalicka.

Head Coach Greg Van Emburgh has had nothing but rave reviews of their play thus far in the early spring season.

“I think those guys at one and two are really interchangeable. They both can play at a top-20, top-25 level in college. And we’re really looking for them to help lead this team,” Van Emburgh said. “Moritz Baumann, he’s kind of like the shy guy with the huge game. And I think this year we’ve put him into the leadership role as team captain. He’s really embraced it, and I think he’s up for the challenge. And I think not only is his play spectacular, I think he’ll really be a major voice in the success of the team coming into the spring.”

Nationally, Michalicka is ranked No. 36 and Baumann is ranked No. 117. Van Emburgh thinks highly of the two individuals saying they have the potential to “establish our first all-American here at the University of Wisconsin.”

Baumann totaled six victories over the weekend, four coming in singles play with the other two coming in doubles. For three of the matches, Baumann competed in the No. 1 position. In the final contest against Northern Illinois on Sunday, Baumann relinquished the spot to Michalicka with the results coming back the same. Michalicka did not play Saturday but did record four victories Sunday. He teamed with Baumann twice in doubles play and was also victorious in his two singles contests.

The duo will have to bring their best performances to the court tonight if they hope to return to Madison with an unblemished spring season record. Like the Badgers, the Golden Eagles competed in four matches this past weekend, coming away victorious over Illinois-Chicago, IUPUI, Western Illinois and Chicago State. Marquette won by 4-0 decisions in each of the contests. The Helfaer Recreation and Tennis Center has proven a tough venue to compete in as of late. Marquette has recorded victories in their last 11 home matches. Overall, the Golden Eagles have won 17 out of their last 18 contests.

Although the ITA Midwest Team Indoor Championship is coming up this weekend, the Badgers cannot overlook this dangerous Marquette team. Despite not being ranked in the latest ITA rankings, MU is fronted by a stout group of veteran leadership. Playing No.1 singles is senior Trent Hagan, while senior Stephen Shao and junior Dusan Medan come together as a formidable No. 1 doubles group.

Wisconsin’s head coach has no intentions of letting his team look past any matches.

“You know, gosh, our backs are against the wall a little bit,” Van Emburgh said. “I think we want to really look, take one match at a time and really be willing to step up in our positions, and really maximize our potential.”