Badgers prepare to take on SMU

DALLAS, TX. — The Wisconsin men’s tennis team (1-11, 0-0 B1G) heads to Dallas to play No. 58 SMU (11-6, 2-0 American) in its final non-conference match of the season Saturday, Mar. 16 at 12. p.m. The match will be played inside the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex.

Here are five things you should know before Wisconsin faces SMU:

1. SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: The SMU Mustangs are 11-6 so far this season, with a 2-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. This month, the Mustangs are 3-0, with a 5-2 upset victory against No. 57 Cornell in Ithaca, a 5-2 win over Cal, and a 7-0 defeat over Butler The Mustangs boast the nation’s No. 44-ranked singles player Trevor Svajda, who holds a 10-3 record and has won his last four matches in straight sets. The pair of Huntley Allen and Adam Neff are ranked as the No. 44 doubles team with a 5-1 record and are coming off a 6-2 doubles win over Butler in the No. 1 match.

2. HISTORY WITH SMU: It has been almost a decade since the Badgers last played the Mustangs, as the two teams last faced off Feb. 28, 2015. No. 63-ranked SMU took the win, 4-1 after snagging the doubles point and singles wins in the No. 2, 3, and 4 matches. Wisconsin’s No. 1 singles player, Josef Dodridge took home a win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 for the Badgers’ lone win of the day. 

3. LAST SERVE: Wisconsin’s last time out, the team faced No. 21 Princeton in New Jersey. After a weekend spent on the East Coast, the Badgers fell to the Tigers, 6-1. Matthew Fullerton won a singles point for the Badgers with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5) victory against Ellis Short in the No. 3 match. The freshman has now won his last three matches dating back to Feb. 26.

4. FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live updates on the Badgers can be found on X (@BadgerMTennis) and Instagram (@wisconsintennis), while live streaming is HERE and live stats can be accessed HERE.

5. UP NEXT: The Badgers begin conference play with a trip to Michigan, as it takes on the Wolverines on Friday, Mar. 22 and the Spartans on Sunday, Mar. 24. First serve will be at 4 p.m. from Varsity Tennis Center followed by and 11 a.m. match from MSU Indoor Tennis Center in East Lansing.