Badgers Reach Six Straight Wins With Identical 7-0 Sweeps

Wisconsin women's tennis players dropped just one set of singles and zero doubles games across two matches on Saturday, finishing both contests with identical 7-0 scores.

The doubleheader victory against Bradley and Green Bay moves the Badgers to 6-0 on the season. That mark equals the program's best start since 1992, a milestone achieved in front of a crowd that watched the team convert every opportunity for a match point.

Green Bay entered the second match short-staffed, fielding only five available players. The visitors could not answer the Badgers' serve or sustain rallies, resulting in a complete shutout. Bradley, which faced the Badgers first, also fell in straight sets across all positions.

The team's control of the match began in doubles, where both pairings won in straight sets. Freshman MaryAnn Rompf and senior Kelsey Grambeau defeated Theresa Tebon and Tallie Piaskowski 6-1. Sophomore Melissa Pick and freshman Lexi Keberle followed with a 6-0 win over Maria Neff and Samm Pedersen.

In singles, no Wisconsin player lost a set. Keberle won at first singles, taking Tebon 6-1 and 6-1 to extend her personal combined record to 7-0 in singles and doubles. Rompf defeated Piaskowski 6-3 and 6-1 at second singles. Michelle Linden won at third, Pick shut out Neff 6-0 and 6-0, and Christina Zordani beat Pedersen 6-0 and 6-1 to reach 5-0 in singles this year.

Head coach Kelcy McKenna attributed the performance to the players' focus on effort, attitude, and energy. "They did a great job with the controlables: their attitude, their effort and their energy," McKenna said. "Those three things are extremely important to our success."

Despite the perfect record, McKenna identified doubles as an area for improvement. She noted the team must become more aggressive on serves and returns and better at protecting leads. "We have to make sure as we move into singles, if we do have the doubles point, that we carry the momentum with us and try to be gritty and not give away free points," McKenna said. The Badgers will host the National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 9 to 12.