Five Things to Know: Badgers spend Spring Break in San Diego

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s tennis team packed their bags and headed to San Diego this past weekend for some sunshine and a mid-week Spring Break matchup against the San Diego State Aztecs (1-5) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. The Badgers (6-5) return to Madison for a Sunday afternoon match, hosting the University of Pennsylvania (5-6) at noon from Nielsen Tennis Stadium. 

Here are five things you should know before this week’s matches:

1. DUAL SEASON IN FULL SWING: The Badgers’ 2022-23 season is almost halfway done, with only a week until Big Ten Conference play begins. Wisconsin has a 6-5 overall record so far this season that includes three shutout matches: Virginia Tech (5-0), Western Michigan (7-0), and Marquette (7-0). Two of Wisconsin’s losses, Old Dominion and Alabama, were close 4-3 finishes. Their record has earned Wisconsin a place in the ITA team rankings, coming in at No. 59 overall. The Badgers are also represented in the rankings by duo Gabriel Huber and Michael Minasyan, the 36th-ranked doubles team in the country. 

2. BACK TO HILDEBRANDT’S ROOTS: Graduate transfer Jason Hildebrandt will welcome his alma mater, Penn, to his new home in Madison on Sunday for a match. During four seasons with the Quakers, Hildebrant posted a 33-31 overall singles record and a 33-15 doubles record. During his senior season, his 7-3 record at No. 1 doubles and 8-10 record at No. 2 singles helped Penn qualify for its first NCAA tournament in school history. 

3. KNOW THE OPPONENTS: San Diego State is 1-5 overall to start the season. Their one victory came at a home match against the University of San Francisco, beating them by a score of 5-2. The Aztecs’ losses came at the hands of Arkansas, Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, Utah, and No. 37 UC Santa Barbara. Despite their record, the Aztecs have had three players win conference weekly awards this season. 

The Penn Quakers are currently 5-6 on the season, with four of their losses coming from ranked teams: No. 8 South Carolina, No. 19 Yale, No. 34 UCLA, and No. 45 Pepperdine. The Quakers have two impressive shutout wins over Navy, 7-0, and William and Mary, 7-0. Wisconsin and Penn have competed against two of the same opponents so far this season. The Quakers were able to beat Old Dominion 6-1 in their season opener while the Badgers narrowly lost to ODU 4-3 on the…