Sunday, 04/22/2012

MADISON, Wis. – In its final regular season match, the Wisconsin women’s tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to the 18th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers Sunday afternoon at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The match also served as the final home competition for seniors Angela Chupa, Lauren Gruber, Aleksandra Markovic and Alaina Trgovich.

Wisconsin finished the regular season at 12-11 overall and 3-8 in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Nebraska claimed the league’s best overall record of 23-3 to go along with a 9-2 conference mark.

“From our standpoint, I think we made too many unforced errors today,” UW head coach Brian Fleishman said. “It’s something that if you do too much of against a good team, then you’re really not giving yourself the best chance to win, and I think that’s what we did today.”

Nebraska got off to a strong start, taking all three doubles matches to earn the first point of the match.

The senior duo of Chupa and Markovic was the first Badgers pair to go down, losing to Patricia Veresova and Mary Weatherholt, 8-3, at court two.

Despite getting five games off the nation’s 53rd-ranked doubles team, Trgovich and junior Hannah Berner were unable to upset Nebraska’s Madeline Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein in an 8-5 loss at the top spot.

Pairing up for the first time this season, freshmen Nova Patel and Sarah Loebel suffered an 8-5 loss to Izabella Zgierska and Janine Weinreich at No. 3.

UW’s lone singles victory at court two was not enough to overcome Nebraska’s dominance.

Berner tallied Wisconsin’s only point of the match in a decisive, straight-set victory at No. 2. The Badger junior recorded her third-consecutive win in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Geibert.

“I’ve been playing a lot of three-setters, so to win a straight-set match is so relieving,” Berner said. “It really brings my confidence up.”

Facing the 45th-ranked singles player in the country in Weatherholt at the top spot, Trgovich lost, 6-1, 6-1.

At No. 6, Gruber earned her first start in Big Ten competition of the season. The Milwaukee native, however, was defeated by Jennifer Holmberg, 6-0, 6-1.

Patel lost to Weinstein, 6-2, 6-1, at court four, while Markovic was defeated 6, 1, 6-4 by No. 100 Weinreich at No. 5.

In her first appearance at the No. 3 spot, Loebel dropped a 6-2, 6-0 decision to Veresova.

The Badgers now await word on their next opponent, whom they will face this week in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament begins on Thursday.

Final results:

No. 18 Nebraska 6 – Wisconsin 1

Doubles:
1.) No. 53 Madeline Geibert / Stefanie Weinstein (NEB) def. Alaina Trgovich / Hannah Berner (UW), 8-5
2.) Patricia Veresova / Mary Weatherholt (NEB) def. Angela Chupa / Aleksandra Markovic (UW), 8-3
3.) Izabella Zgierska/ Janine Weinreich (NEB)def. Sarah Loebel / Nova Patel (UW), 8-5

Order of finish:
2, 1, 3

Singles:
1.) No. 45 Mary Weatherholt (NEB) def. Alaina Trgovich (UW), 6-1, 6-1
2.) Hannah Berner (UW) def. Madeline Geibert (NEB), 6-2, 6-2
3.) Patricia Veresova (NEB) def. Sarah Loebel (UW), 6-2, 6-0
4.) Stefanie Weinstein (NEB) def. Nova Patel (UW), 6-2, 6-1
5.) No. 100 Janine Weinreich (NEB) def. Aleksandra Markovic (UW), 6-1, 6-4
6.) Jennifer Holmberg (NEB) def. Lauren Gruber (UW), 6-0, 6-1

Order of finish:
1, 6, 2, 4, 5, 3